Introducing "Quilting: The New Classics"! Woo Hoo! Let's hop!

All quilters draw inspiration from the past. But how do today's artisans put their personal stamp on classic patterns? Twenty influential quilters from across the stylistic spectrum present their unique creative vision of timeless designs. Each pattern, Double Wedding Ring, Crazy Quilt, Dresden Plate, Bear Paw, Log Cabin, Nine Patch, Hexagon, Yo-Yo, Flying Geese, and Rail Fence, comes with step-by-step instructions for two adaptations, one traditional, the other modern.

The book also includes a history of each pattern, images of heirloom or museum-quality quilts for inspiration, easy-to-use templates and essential quilting techniques.

Forwards by Meg Cox and Janneken Smucker.

I was thrilled and honored when my dear friend, Michele Muska, invited me to contribute to her book, "Quilting:  The New Classics".  I began my journey as a quilt maker in the early 80's, inspired by the work of a nurse-colleague.  My paternal grandmother, Maude Tucker, was the town seamstress and a quilt maker of considerable talent.  Participating in this book as a contributing artist makes me feel like my grandmother would be proud of me.

I love many things about the style of this book.  First, the paper feels so great!  I think we are weirdly tactile creatures, us artists.  The paper quality is exceptional.  I love that the book has folds on the front and back cover which makes it easy to place-hold a page.

The matte finish is wonderful and so is the photography and layout.  Each quilt "style" is represented by a traditional interpretation as well as a modern translation, and they are featured side-by-side in the book.  I have never seen this done before and I love it.

Since I adore hexagon quilts of any size and shape it was great to be asked to create a 'modern' version of this classic shape.   As much as I love paper piecing hexagons I wanted to see if I could construct them in a different way.
First, I constructed a long section of strip-pieced fabrics.

After drawing and cutting several graduated sizes of hexagons from paper, I used these to cut my hexagons using a 1/4 inch seam allowance around the paper shapes.  I cut two in each size, front and back.

Placing the right sides together, I stitched the front and back of each hexagon together leaving one side of each open (in order to turn the shape right-side-out).

Before turning, the corners need to be trimmed close to the seam to allow a crisp point.

After turning the hexagon right-side-out, I turned the raw edge opening in so it could be pressed into place, then stitched it closed.

After the hexagon is stitched it was placed onto the quilt top surface and stitched into place all around the perimeter.  

Just for fun, and because I am slightly nuts, I added four octagons for a little visual confusion.

I like the result!  Hexi and Octi go out for a date!

I continue to have an intense love affair with all shades of gray.  Fifty?  Why limit oneself to so few?!

(Side-note:  I was just in a class with a woman who told me she loved this shade of Kona gray so much that, if this color of fabric were a man, she would marry him.)  I sort of understand.

Apparently the book also functions as a hat.

Here is Michele, posing with our fellow Quilt Alliance board member, Mark Lipinski.

There is so much great stuff in this book, and you could WIN one by leaving a comment!  I will be doing a drawing to give away a copy of this gorgeous book from those who have written me a note here.   You must comment by November 1st to be eligible for the drawing.
Please use the following link to order your own copy of this gorgeous book:

http://www.amazon.com/Quilting-New-Classics-Inspired-Traditional/dp/1936096803

Stop by all these amazing artists for more inspiration:

Oct. 20th Michele Muska http://www.lolarae.com/blog.html

Oct. 21^st Leslie Jenison  http://leslietuckerjenison.blogspot.com

Oct. 22^nd Janneken Smucker   http://www.janneken.org/category/blog/

Oct. 23^rd Valerie Bothell http://pinkbunnykansas.blogspot.com

Oct. 24^th Kaari Meng www.frenchgeneral.blogspot.com

Oct. 25^th Elisa Sims Albury : www.stitchoutsidetheditch.com

Oct. 26^th Heather Jones www.oliveandollie.com

Oct. 27^th Victoria Findlay Wolfe http://www.bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com

Oct. 28^th Amy Smart http://www.diaryofaquilter.com

Oct. 29^th Jackie Kunkel http://cvquiltworks.com/blogs/blog\

Oct. 30^th Pat Sloan http://blog.patsloan.com/

Oct. 31^st Shelly Pagliai  http://prairiemoonquilts.com/?page_id=62

Nov. 1^st Allie Aller www.alliesinstitches.blogspot.com

Nov. 2^nd Kristin Omdahl www.styledbykristin.com

Nov. 3^rd Jacquie Gering http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/

Nov. 3^rd Pat Sloan 4:00pm eastern time http://toginet.com/shows/americanpatchworkandquiltingradio

“The Voice of Quilting” American Patchwork and Quilting radio show 

Also, stay tuned for some great inspiration and ideas from some of our contributors’ newsletters and social media platforms!
Meg Cox with Quilt Journalist Tells All
New York times Best Selling Author Marie BostwickMegan Frock of Downtown Housewife

And more from Marci Elmer Warren, Linda Pumphrey, Bonnie Bus and Darlene Zimmerman!

Come Join Me In Houston at the International Quilt Festival!

I have two fun all-day workshops scheduled this fall at the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas, and I hope to see you in one or both of them!!
First, I will be co-teaching a rollicking workshop called "Painting With A Twist & Shout" along with Jamie Fingal.  This workshop is for anyone who loves the idea of painting is intimidated by the blank canvas.  We collaborate as a group to create amazing paintings on large pieces of unstretched canvas, and then we (gasp!) cut them up to make some very cool mixed media items in the afternoon.   You just won't believe how much fun it is!  This workshop is from 9-5 on Friday,  October 31st (wooooo, it's on Halloween!).  Workshop #512 on the schedule, which is now LIVE so you can enroll!Check out some of the images below:

Morning:  collaborative painting!

Afternoon:  create all sorts of cool things with your painted canvas sections!

Saturday Workshop:  "Fifty Shades of Groovy:  A Modern Quilting Workshop"!  This workshop (#719) runs on Saturday, November 1st, from 9-5.  We will construction a contemporary panel from your own set of fabric squares and a selection of gray solids.  Please see the workshop listed on the IQA Website for more information.  Most students leave the workshop with the panel constructed and we spend time discussing the use of negative space and placement of the constructed panel.  Students are amazed with their results and how different each participants' work turns out.  

Examples below:

details of "Thoroughly Mondrian Millie"...

this is a portion of the negative space surrounding the pieced "panel".

This quilting workshop is for any level of quilt maker.  The only prerequisite is to have a basic knowledge of using a sewing machine and rotary cutter.  

Modern Guild Retreat

Here are a few shots from last weekend's San Antonio Modern Guild retreat near Smithville, Texas.
The retreat organizers did an amazing job of creating fun activities mixed in between all our hard work creating new things.  Everyone received very generous door prizes from our sponsors.  All-in-all, it was a great, exhausting weekend that was very productive.
I arrived Thursday afternoon.  Several of us came early to get a jumpstart on our work.  My goal was to fix one project, finish two that were underway, and piece yet another.  Ambitious, yes?

Gazing across the large room where we are set up for work.  Each participant has 

a 4x8 foot design wall and one and a half work tables.  Since I brought my Sew Ezi, I had more room!

I worked on this piece, the background for a quilt that I am creating for the MD Anderson ovarian cancer fundraising event.

I am paper-piecing hexi's, which will be part of a design to be appliqued to the surface of the 

MD Anderson piece.

Here is a Kaffe Fassett design, the first pattern I have constructed in decades, under construction.

I have always loved this quilt!  I made several mistakes as I do not follow written instructions very well.

The mistakes are plainly evident, and I like them very much.  Seriously.

It is quite large:  80-something inches by 70-something inches.

We were treated to a surprise champagne and strawberry toast late one evening!

Our toast?  The same as the Dinner At Eight toast, given to us by my dear friend, Rachel Parris.

It goes like this...

Here's to strong women:

May We Know Them

May We Raise Them

May We Be Them!

Next up:  Finish this big quilt top.

I had previously pieced the bright blocks in the upper right.

Now, my task was to embed the other blocks into a large negative space using a

Kaffe Fassett shot cotton color of gray.

Apparently I did not photograph this after finishing the quilt top.  I'll add an image later.

Here is my workspace:  messy!

Piecing, Jurying, & even a few Hexi's in the mix....

I apologize for not posting in a while.  I gave myself a few days to rest up after the trip to Arizona.  I didn't mention in the previous posts that I flew to SoCal from Phoenix to spend time with Jamie for a few days before I returned to Texas.  We enjoyed our time together.

We have a construction project underway on our property:  the demolition of the old pool cabana (a useless, if cute, structure), and are progressing toward a covered-porch and outdoor kitchen.  Many setbacks along the way due to some unforeseen issues (hello, septic system located in an entirely different place from the original house plans).  The resolution of this rather large hiccup has lead to even better plans that are now unfolding.  Below is my husband, standing in front of the framing for the poured concrete that will house the wood-burning pizza oven.  He is pretending to shovel a pizza in and out of the oven!

I've been back in the studio with quite a number of plates spinning, or at least wobbling in the air...

I have been revisiting my love of piecing.  I started this right after the holidays. I had a major stressor in my extended family that sent me into the studio for what i would like to call "comfort piecing".  It was perfect therapy, resulting in a lot of pieced things that need some finishing.  I'll show you.

At least 3 different things rolling along on the design wall...

Late last night I pulled the pieced blocks down and started messing with them.

I'm trying to decide what to use as "filler" blocks.  I'm still not certain.

The dog is not certain, either, and she is really bored with me.

eh...I just don't know about any of this.  Black with white print?  White with black print?

Both? None of the above?  I'm not feelin it.

Biz has just about "had it" with me.  Just after this shot she started stealing things off the floor.

This is her trademark maneuver for distracting me away from my work.

Also in the mix:  some hand-basted hexi's!

These, believe it or not, are going to be configured into the shape of an ovary and a fallopian tube.

They will be, theoretically anyway, appliqued onto a background for a quilt that is to be donated to 

MD Anderson for an ovarian cancer research fundraising event.

All the more poignant since I now know 3 women who are battling this awful disease.

And, I'm jurying an exhibition.  It is a process that takes time.  So between sessions at the computer, I'm piecing, sketching, writing, and thinking.  Oh!, and I'm playing with Bizzi.