Modern Quilt Relish

Road Trip with Modern Quilt Relish Finds!

2012-01-24T06:41:00.000-06:00

Marny here...We had lots of fun last Thursday. We headed south to Des Moines to squeeze in a bit of quilt shop therapy along with the January meeting of the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild.

We found several fun surprises at The Quilt Block in West Des Moines. Thank you very much! We love to see samples!!

Here is our pattern, TV Dinners made up. Notice they still have fabric if you are interested!

Here is one version of our Brioche & Baguette pattern, throw size

And here is another version of Brioche & Baguette, under construction.
It makes good use Sole by Valerie Wells. If you are super observant you'll see they turned the center large rectangles a different direction to feature their particular fabric.

Our eyes lit up to see this fabric in person. We'd admired it in a magazine,
but up close and in person it is wonderful! Malka Dubrowsky is the designer.
Visit her blog here and read about the fabric selling out! Hope Moda prints more.
The Quilt Block had quite a collection last Thursday!! We might go back for more.

This weekend we have a Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild retreat---an evening and a day of uninterrupted sewing...what a luxury. We look forward to getting to know our fellow Guild members better and to getting some samples sewn.

See you Tuesday...

Andover's "Primativa" Process

2012-01-17T07:24:00.005-06:00

jill here...We spied a wonderful new fabric collection designed by Jane Dixon. It's an Andover fabric named "Primitiva" and Andover was gracious to send us some. This contemporary floral is one of our favorite color schemes: a tetradic ( four colors that form a rectangle on the color wheel) in orange, fuschia, lime green and periwinkle blue. It's particularly pleasing because its on a great taupe background with some pops of white. In addition to the floral, there are many fun accompaniments in the collection. Small scale geometrics, organic stripes, stylized leaves and zig zags all add to the fun.

So....We have plans to make a new Bowtie Pasta with a Twist. Even more fun is the fact that the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild is having a retreat in a couple of weeks. Samples (pre-cut, of course) are the perfect quilts (for us) to make in a social setting. Not too much thinking and Marny and I have a great system to team sewing. There will be some preliminary decisions to make.

1. We plan to make the quilt in the kid size. This size is easier to show and ship while still giving the viewer an accurate representation.

2. The large scale floral is such a great pattern that we will use it in a larger proportion, specifically more often.

3. If you look at the above fabrics, you will notice that there are three of lighter value...the oranges. One of these will be the accent. We want it to pop, not blend, so the top right circle print, as cute as it is, will not work due to the pattern. It is not enough different from the large scale floral.

4. We'll try some mock ups before we make our final decisions.

5. Lesson: If you're not certain which fabrics will work best, buy more. You can always use them in a creative backing!

Stay tuned. We'll take pictures and report back as to the design process. If you have any comments on process, we'd love to hear them. Sometimes it's lonely on this side of the blog.

Till next Tuesday....

Photos shared with Modern Quilt Relish

2012-01-10T06:18:00.000-06:00

We have recently received several photos of quilts made from our patterns. We LOVE getting photos and sharing them with you all!

Here is a Supper Club throw version shared with us by Quilt Expressions in Boise, Idaho . It was a hoot meeting up with the Quilt Expressions staff at Market. They are warm, fun and extremely businesslike and helpful. Go to their website and watch the video about their store if you want to get a feel for what we are talking about. The big news is that they are offering kits of this quilt! Find out details here. This Supper Club is made from a couple Kona Cotton solids and some of the Echo collection from Windham Fabrics. A single fun fabric was used in the large rectangles rather than the pieced rectangle option.

Quilt Expressions Echo Kit of Modern Quilt Relish's Supper Club

Annie of Studio Sequana shared this tempting Narrow Quilt Version of Salad Bar. Annie has joined our Flickr group so perhaps you have already seen this photograph she posted there.

Annie also sent us a wonderful email with this photo. Here is what she had to say.

"I want to make the larger size now......I just love this pattern. Interesting that you just did a baby quilt, since I have one to make soon too....I think this will be my choice for that. It's so much fun putting the fabrics together."

She ordered two different patterns after Salad Bar! That is such a compliment to us.

Annie of Sequana Studio's version of Salad Bar

Below is a totally different version of the same quilt! Now can you see why we love to get photos? We get the opportunity to see our designs in different fabrics, and we didn't have to do the sewing!

This one is extra special because Andrea will be teaching Salad Bar as a class. We are very excited. Andrea teaches at Fran's Sewing Circle in Wilmington, North Carolina. Here is where you go to find out more about the class. It is being offered February 22nd. Hope we get some photos of the class and their projects! (Hint, hint...) Check out their website--they also had fun at Market!

This was sent in by Yuri. This is her version of Brioche and Baguette. It is most intriguing to see it in batiks. We think we might just have to try that!

Yuri's version of Brioche & Baguette

We'd also like to point out that a couple of the above received their patterns and rewarded us with photos in as little two weeks! Wow!!!

Thank you to you all for sharing,
Till Tuesday...

Monaluna Taali Makes Up Two Child Supper Club Modern Quilts

2012-01-03T04:42:00.000-06:00

Marny here...
Hope all of your New Year's are off to good starts. We are off and running because we completed two new quilt tops New Year's Day, but more on that a bit later.

One of the great perks of having Modern Quilt Relish is meeting interesting, creative people you've admired and establishing relationships with them.

I had ordered this incredibly cute Scooter fabric from Monaluna awhile back. The owner's personal touch and attention to my order really struck me.
It is Scooters from her Monaco collection. I also ordered Circles and Double Dots in both Teal and Green.

We actually got to meet the talented designer, Jennifer Moore, briefly at the Salt Lake Quilt Market. Her vehicle was parked near ours as we attempted to load all our booth belongings into the car in a 40 mph wind. It was rather comical. We each had our challenges, but we all saw the humor in it. It was such fun to meet a designer we'd admired up close and personal. Yes, I still get a bit star struck.

In Houston we spent a bit of time in her Monaluna booth and fell in love with Taali. (Along with all her fabrics I might add.) We pounced on the idea of using the line in our Supper Club Pattern. Jill approached Jennifer with the idea, and she kindly supplied her wonderful fabric. So when Spring Market arrives in Kansas City, we each will have a sample for our booths!

The two quilt tops are ready to be quilted. Supper Club works up very quickly in the child version using a single focus fabric in the large rectangle. Here is cover of the Supper Club Pattern.

We will show you the completed projects when we get them back from April. They are cute!!!

But here are my pictures of the Taali collection to satisfy your curiosity until that time. Please visit Monaluna for more information about her fabric and we encourage you to order some for yourself.

Her fabrics are all 100% Organic cotton printed with AZO-free dyes. The fabric itself is a medium weight poplin that is easy to sew and press and looks great in completed projects.

The fabric we chose as the focus fabric in the large rectangles of Supper Club.

So cute! A medium value so great to use as the horizontal stripe in the pattern.

Vertical stripe in a darker value. Because it is a directional print we cut it out thoughtfully.

Fun stripe to be used as binding we think! (also used on one back)

Dot we used as the background in our Supper Clubs and on a back in one.

Taali, Such a happy collection!
More on these quilts and Monaluna in later posts.
Till Tuesday.
Check out Jennifer's photos of Taali!
There are more pieces in the collection on her site.

Modern Baby Salad Bar Speaks "J'Adore"

2011-12-27T08:26:00.001-06:00

jill here....When we designed Salad Bar for Daisy Janie, we designed a baby quilt as well. Just didn't have the time to get it made before Houston. While at market, the sweetest little French fabric spoke to us : "J'Adore" by Dear Stella. Dear Stella was kind enough to share a fat quarter pack plus the extra for background and binding.

The Paris map, the Bicyclettes, the Eiffel Towers were staggered
with the stripes as the overlap and binding and the confetti dots as the background.

Perfect for the pink baby! Can be a blue version too.

The backing is the fat quarter leftovers!

The pattern shows options for settings.
This setting resembled a butterfly so the quilting motif was a butterfly as well.

Until next Tuesday...Happy New Year! Jill and Marny

A Modern Floral Arrangement Arrives for the Holidays!

2011-12-20T06:25:00.000-06:00

Season's Greetings from us both!

We have an asymmetric arrangement, a contemporary mix of color, and a touch of the unexpected.
Sounds a bit like the beginnings of a modern quilt.

The textures are amazing. It is a wonderful mix of mums, protea and roses with seasonal evergreens accented with pussy willow.

Protea from Hawaii holds a special place in Marny's heart.

Whatever and wherever you celebrate, may you be filled with peace and the love of family and friends.

Quilts for Kids...and Fun Too!

2011-12-13T07:33:00.000-06:00

jill here......Last year we blogged about my traditional holiday sewing party...twelve years of projects. This year, after sorting fabrics, I decided that some of my great kids fabrics would make some cute quilts! Of course, I'm a great collector of fabric but of course, I never have enough of the appropriate backgrounds. I had to shop for just a few yards! I thought about planning 4 quilts with two different patterns but then I remembered to keep it simple! So the charity quilts would all be sewn from our pattern Supper Club! The hope was for eight sewers to piece 4 quilt tops within 5-6 hours. BUT, there would be time out for lunch and lots of laughter.

We divided into two groups of four: 2 sewers, 1 presser, 1 cutter acting as the coordinator. Each group had 2 quilt tops to construct. I had cut the fabric earlier and we had 4 sewing machines set up, two in the kitchen and two in the studio. It really wasn't a competition but there was a sense of friendly rivalry. Could we succeed?

Warm cider gets us going!

Marianne at the iron, close to her kitchen duties.

Gale and Leona sewing in sunshine, still smiling.

There was division of labor and Laura handled the iron like a pro.

Marny managed the studio group and made the cuts!

Time out for a wonderful lunch prepared by Marianne.

Two quilt tops nearly finished (the other two as well).
Most of all, it was a great time with great memories!

Four quilt tops in a row!

Kid and Puppies.

I'm thinking I may just try my machine hand at the quilting but don't hold your breath! Enjoy the season,

'Till next Tuesday...

Rewarding Photos

2011-12-06T06:07:00.000-06:00

Marny here...we are always so pleased when we get to see quilts made from Modern Quilt Relish patterns.

We recently received these two photos in our email via April.

This is a beautiful version of Modern Pickle Relish.
It is a product of Isabelle Originals and Ivy Threads in Dysart, Iowa.
It is stunning in person. We've seen it but did not have a good picture of our own.
It is intriguing to see a cream background with rich tans and golds as
the squares. It is so different from our sample on charcoal black.

This is a queen Flatbread created by Delores. It is going to look great on
some lucky person's bed! Great job! Amazing what four values can do!

So please send us photos and we can post them. Our email is on our Contact Us page. You can also post them yourselves on our Flickr site.

We look forward to anything you are willing to share! Thank you April!

Till Tuesday...

Maket Values: Quilt Top in Six Hours!

2011-11-29T07:13:00.000-06:00

jill here....A couple of months ago, Marny and I offered a Market Values Mystery Class. It was a pattern test: a chance to gain feedback prior to published print AND to have a good time. The quilters were given the ingredients to make their fabric selections before class. They came ready to cut and sew. What a cooperative group. We even had time for a tasty lunch! Several sewers finished the quilt top within the six hour time period.

With helpful comments, Marny and I made some improvements to the finished product.
W

MODERN QUILT RELISH VERSIONS

Lap sized Market Values in Daisy Janie's Shades of Gray

Modern Quilt Relish kid sized Market Values

Market Values in Batiks

I cut out this top in 1/2 hour and Marny and I sewed it in 2 1/2 hours TOGETHER. What Fun!

It's new home is at Hen and Chicks in Conrad, Iowa.

'Till next Tuesday....

A Tutorial for Quick Decorative Towels

2011-11-21T15:32:00.000-06:00

Marny here...

Recently the Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild met. Although I'd known there was to be an exchange of some sort of holiday item for weeks, I was caught with overly ambitious plans and too little time to complete them. This simple little idea popped into my head. I had the adorable Riley Blake precut 5" squares already and a quick trip into Target supplied me with the "finger tip" towels.

They turned out so cute I thought I would share the steps I took.

Start with 5" (Charm) squares. Seven squares make four bands.
For my three towels (I made another they were so much fun) I used fourteen
charm squares. No fabrics were repeated on any towel.
Or at least that was my intention. I have some leftover bands to play with later.

Cut each 5" square in half. You can stack them and cut them very efficiently.
Perfection is not required.

Create two piles, each with one half of every charm.
This will give your strip sets a nice variety and keep like fabrics from
ending up too close to one another.

Chain sew pairs together. Press the seams. I press them open.

Then seam pairs together. I really only needed seven fabrics across.
I got a bit ambitious and had to "unsew" a few because my towel
was only so wide. So measure your towel relative to your strip sets.
You'll need a slightly longer strip set than the width of the towel so that you
are able to fold the ends in using the method described below.
Two additional inches should do it.

Cut the strip set in half lengthwise. It will be 2 1/2" by the
length of your strip set.

I used one half on one towel and the other half on another towel.

Next, press this unit in half lenghtwise.

Then, open it up again and press each edge in towards the center pressed line.

Line up the nicely pressed unit on the towel to see how much
the ends need to be folded under. Press under that amount.
Next, fold the outer most corners towards the center to form a point.

Press again and no raw edges will escape while you are sewing.
The band you have created is probably an 1" to 1 1/4" or so wide.
My towels worked perfectly since they had bands to accommodate
the pieced units. How did I get so lucky?

I increased my stitch length to a 3.0 (on my machine 2.5 is the default) and
stitched all the way around a bit more than an 1/8" from the edge.
To be truthful I used my trusty edgestitching foot with my needle in
position 6 (as far to the right as it goes).

This is a picture of the edgestitching foot ready for action. It is hard to see here,
but it has a gate to the right that the fabric slides against. This keeps the stitching
consistent and straight. It is very handy for all sorts of sewing, especially for my 1/4" seam.

Each towel got two bands, each from a different strip set.

All ready for the gift exchange! Very cute and lots of fun to create.

This technique could be expanded for larger towels. You can cut your own 5" squares from your stash or purchase fabrics for your decor and cut those. More importantly, use this idea to provide a happy excuse to purchase those wonderful Charm Packs of all sorts of holiday collections! I'm going to be hunting for Charms appropriate for Halloween, Thanksgiving and the 4th of July.

Do any of you have simple holiday gift ideas you'd care to share? Any tutorials you know of for fun items to link our readers to? Can't wait to hear about them. Thanks in advance for sharing. Notice the Handmade with Love little bird on the top right portion of our blog. Lots to explore there.

Speaking of sharing, feel free to share a link to this tutorial.

Till Tuesday...

Hen and Chicks in Conrad, Iowa

2011-11-15T07:14:00.000-06:00

Amanda of Kaleidoscope of Colors is our Robert Kaufman Stockholm fabric winner!

jill here... On a beautiful November morning, Marny and I took a road trip to mideastern Iowa. Neat and tidy, those Iowa farms look prepared for the coming winter. Traveling through the rolling hills and gentle plains, we arrived in Conrad where we were greeted at the Hen and Chicks Studio. The quilt shop and retreat center, The Nest, will celebrate its ribbon cutting this Friday, November 18th. The grand opening will continue through Saturday. Heidi Kaisand, owner, has renovated this beautiful vintage building to house her dreams of scrap booking, quilting and creativity. Many of you know Heidi as a former editor of American Patchwork and Quilting. With her family close by, this studio reflects Heidi's entrepreneurial spirit. She describes it as the perfect place to gather and devote time to your favorite hobby. Should you retreat here, you will be well fed and inspired!

Beth, the manager, opened the door to welcome us!

Wall of patterns...relish the MQR designs.

Upstairs at the Nest retreat center.

Sleeping quarters. Shhhhh.

Sewing center with room for twenty.

And the essentials outside of very modern facilities!

Heidi ready to help.

A brand new collection from Anthropology waiting to take shape into a Market Values.

Hope you can visit this cute Conrad shop with a great selection of fabrics.
Stay tuned next Tuesday for a series of Market Values to temp your taste buds!

Robert Kaufman Stockholm Fabric Giveaway

2011-11-08T08:18:00.001-06:00

Marny here...
A few posts back we shared that Brioche and Baguette was being made up in a new line of fabric from Robert Kaufman. The line is called Stockholm and the designer is Robin Zingone.

Here is the version we hung in our booth at the Houston Quilt Market.
The version we made for Robert Kaufman's booth is on a grey Kona Solid.
Unfortunately we neglected getting a picture of it hanging in their booth.

Here are the three wonderful colorways of Stockholm.

This is the colorway we got to use in Brioche & Baguette. It will be on the new pattern cover.

This colorway is featured in a new project that April is quilting today! It will be revealed at a later date. Top secret for now.

Pinks and reds--very yummy and my personal favorite.

A fat quarter bundle of Stockholm in the pink and red colorway is our giveaway this week.

Please leave a comment about any pinks and reds you are seeing pop up in ads, fabrics, nature etc. It is all around us. We can only mail to a winner living in the United States. Postage is the stickler. The drawing is open until midnight Monday, November 14th.

Till Tuesday....

Market: A Multi-tasker's Challenge

2011-11-05T08:17:00.002-05:00

jill here......Market is a visual overload. One does not realize that until after.....all the possibilities that were missed! Coupled with the fact that we have to sell our product, it's hard to do it all. So the realization that we missed a photo with Jan and our "Salad Bar" quilt was astounding! This photo below is Jan DiCintio, a wonderful fabric designer that we were so lucky to work with. She is totally dedicated to the organic GOT certification. We learned all about the production process at her schoolhouse session. There should be a photograph of Jan with her new fabric line "Tilly" and our quilt...didn't happen. Take a look on our site under the Pattern Shop and you will see the new design. Better yet, go to Daisy Janie

Jan DiCintio of Daisy Janie with her organic "Tilly" collection

The next few photos are of our booth. Not many changes from Salt Lake except that we downsized. Not holding true to our philosophy that less is more, we attempted more in less (of a space). How does one compare? There were just too many tales to tell and they seemed to fit in a smaller space. Hope we didn't scare anyone away (it was Halloween)!

The good part of downsizing was we fit it ALL in my smaller hybrid car and traveled forty miles to the gallon. We even had a change of clothes, for which you can be grateful.

Perhaps you can see (barely) that we remade a couple of our samples Brioche and Baguette in brighter, more graphic fabrics and a new Baby Nibbles. Can you believe that we didn't get a photo of the new Stokholm fabric line at Robert Kauffman with our quilt ? We'll post that soon. We'll be changing the covers of the pattern on those two soon.

Marny and Jill thrilled to be in Houston.

One last comment. Looking back on a week that was work, fun and inspiration all rolled into one, I have to say it was the people that made it wonderful. Quilters are great friends. We were the newbies on the first aisle and they welcomed us and treated us like family. Okay, we were surrounded by quilters from Iowa, Kansas, Oregon, California and a crazy fun lady from Kentucky! The staff at the convention center was exceptional as were all the urbanites. And, even the drivers were sane. We traveled over 2100 miles safely and its good to be back home. We'll blog again Tuesday. Meanwhile, check out our Pattern Shop for our two new patterns, Market Values and Salad Bar!

Plum full of Quilt Marlet

2011-10-31T23:52:00.003-05:00

Writing from I-45 heading out of Houston. (Jill is driving should you be concerned.) We have to apologize for not posting till now. Busy, busy, busy at Quilt Market.

We will be posting when we get home. It was a wonderful experience and it will be fun to share it with you all.

Till soon!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Modern Dinner Plates Quilt

2011-10-25T07:04:00.000-05:00

Marny and Jill here....but not for long!

We are packing the car to head to International Quilt Market in Houston. Lots of last minute details getting taken care of. It is all so much fun!

Remember the Free Modern Quilt Dinner Plates Quilt Along that we held a couple of months ago? (To see all the steps we posted you can always click on the Dinner Plates label in the right side bar.)

Here is a completed Dinner Plates quilt that April West is sharing with us.

Isn't it wonderful? Seeing the same pattern made up in a variety of ways is so rewarding. April's color palette and textures and prints differ greatly from the versions we have shared previously. It is so much fun for us to see a pattern made up multiple ways! Very gratifying.

And look at the quilting!

A Dinner Plate quilted. Gorgeous!

An empty, rather solid textured, square given dimension with quilting.

April is an professional longarm quilter. Her business is The Quilting Den. She does a fantastic job on all the quilts for our patterns. We love getting the quilts back from her. Her quilting really helps them "come alive."

Look how she works in and around those Dinner Plates!

Our thanks to April for sharing her quilt. Seeing how quilting adds to your quilts is educational, both for those making quilts and for those of us designing patterns. It is an element that can have a huge impact on the success of the final product.

If all goes well, and the app works as intended (and practiced) we should be able to blog as we go this trip. Please be forgiving of typos and other oddities since "typing" will take place on an iPhone or an iPad. Check back frequently this week to see what we are up to! We are eager to share.

Till soon....

Easy...Easier...Easing for Modern Quilt Tip

2011-10-18T06:16:00.000-05:00

Marny here...

Do you ever stop and ask yourself, now why did I do that? And then, how can I fix that?

For those of us with moveable needle positions on our sewing machines we get to choose our seam width. This is not as cut and dried as you might think. Jill and I were feverishly sewing together last week and we discovered she is a "4.5" and I am a "4.0".

Jill's perfect setting at "4.5" This is the smaller seam allowance of the two.

Marny's perfect setting at "4.0" is the larger seam allowance of the two.

Could I leave well enough alone? No is the obvious answer. You guessed it, I made a couple of strip sets using "4.5". Then I cut them into the correct segments and decided to check the results. I lined the segments side by side to sew them together, and wow, you guessed it again, "4.5" doesn't work for me. Everyone is different in how they place their fabric along the edge of their foot. I imagine every machine is a bit different too. So you need to find the needle position that works for you and use it!

Can't have this now can we? This is the overall difference in length. The three seam
allowances were not large enough so the segment ended up
longer than the one it needed to pair with.

The "grass is always greener syndrome" can get you into trouble.

I had a pile of segments with the wrong seam allowance. One set of segments had three seams in each one. The error gets multiplied the more seams are involved. I did not want to start with a new strip set. One fabric was in short supply. What to do?

My first solution was to resew the seams. Easy but tedious.

And then I thought how about if I pin lots and fudge a bit. Easier but not so pretty.

But then...wait for it...easing is best accomplished if the fabric that needs easing is against the feed dogs of your machine. I can just hear my 8th grade Home Economics teacher announcing this kindly as we all wrestled with inserting sleeves. (I also still remember that the first one went in perfectly, and that the second one took nine tries. Not so cleverly and against advise, I chose a nice solid pink fabric that showed every error. I just loved the solid sea of pink though.) Notice I am still happily sewing with solids.

I placed the fabric segment that needed easing along the feed dogs and put the segment sewn with the "4.0" needle position seam on top. Worked like a charm. Success was mine. Big sigh of relief. The blocks are going together beautifully now.

The segment that ended up too long due to the too small seam allowances
is placed against the feed dogs.When you pin appropriately and match seams
correctly the machine does the work for you.

Note to self: all other strip sets will be sewn with a "4.0" needle position. That is if I can remember.

Last week's design dilemmas have been conquered, the new pattern is getting put on the computer with diagrams and directions, and all the deadlines are going to be met. The quilts will be ready at the longarm quilter's tomorrow (thanks April) and therefore let us give a shout. Binding and pictures are next. Ta Da! Yipee!

We just received Market Values back from the printer. It is always fun to watch the UPS truck drive up with patterns for Modern Quilt Relish. Can't wait to show them to you all!

See you Tuesday. Which, by the way, is the last post before Houston Fall Quilt Market. Can you believe it?

Stuck on Complexity

2011-10-11T07:37:00.000-05:00

jill here....Sometimes the process really hurts. We're stuck in a design dilemma. We have this beautiful Daisy Janie fabric "Tilly" and this great block to feature the fabric but the setting just isn't working. (Actual photos of these layouts that will be shared after we publish the finished design.) Later, we'll share our journey with some design criteria; you can add in with your opinions.

Did someone say there is a deadline on the very near horizon? Better not to panic as there is a wonderful designer depending on us.

Back to the basics! A quote that inspires us is from Weeks Ringle's and Bill Kerr's book Color Harmony For Quilts. "As a general rule of thumb, a complex palette flatters a simple design and a simple palette is best suited to a complex design." So we're traveling back to the drawing board and computer to discover a new direction. Stay tuned. Keep the faith, Jan!

It'll be a busy week but we'll be back next Tuesday!

Fresh Fabric for Brioche & Baguette

2011-10-04T06:11:00.000-05:00

Jeanne's Fall in Colorado, thanks for the photo! Great memories...

Marny here....

First, we want to thank everyone who attended our lecture at the AQS show in Des Moines. We were so pleased to share "A Little Taste of Modern" with you. The talk focused on a design principle (balance) and the design elements (space, line, shape, value & color) that we feel are essential to a Modern Quilt. Preparing the lecture made us distill some of our thoughts into a cohesive whole. It was a good exercise. Hopefully those attending enjoyed themselves.

We did receive permission to share our Robert Kaufman surprise! It is such fun news for us! Wow! They have a new line of fabric coming out called Stockholm, designed by Robin Zingone. While we can't show you pictures of the fabrics before they launch them later this month, we can tell you they are fabulous. It is so much fun to be cutting into the beautiful prints and putting them up on the design wall. They are going to be made into our Brioche and Baguette pattern. (You can scroll down through the pattern shop to see which pattern we are talking about.) Stockholm is a perfect fabric line for the pattern. It will be even more exciting for us to see the quilt hanging in their booth at Houston Quilt Market. We will have one in our booth too, lucky us.

Our Market Values Pattern is heading to the printer's on Friday. It will be a proofreading frenzy (and special thanks to our little team of proofers) since the pattern has changed a bit since the mystery test class we had. Our students offered many valuable suggestions. The pattern will be better for it. Thank you.

How are all those Dinner Plates Quilt Along quilts coming along? I've seen a couple of tops lately and I can't wait to see the finished projects! It is always so much fun to see how unique each quilt is. We saw Lois' fun top during the Market Values class and I got to see April's Sunday afternoon. It will be just wonderful when she gets it quilted, and she will soon I bet.

Till Tuesday.

Wow events for Modern Quilt Relish

2011-09-27T06:48:00.000-05:00

Marny here...
Modern Quilt Relish is keeping busy. Jill and I are just trying to keep up with it. The business has taken on a life of its own...and it doesn't allow for down time, that is for sure. One of the words I keep uttering and writing in emails is "wow" and usually it is followed by an exclamation point.

Last Thursday we had two wonderful classrooms of students participating in a mystery presentation of our upcoming pattern Market Values. Several of the students managed to cut their fabric and complete their quilt tops in under six hours. Awesome. Wow. Jill has lots of photos to share when the pattern is revealed. We received numerous really good suggestions and positive feedback to help with creating the final written version. Lots of fine tuning of the instructions has filled our days since. Photographs need to be taken for the cover the next time the sun shines and the breeze stops. Our faithful proofreading team will be called upon soon, and then off to the printer everything goes.

This Friday we are lecturing at the AQS Quilt Show in nearby Des Moines. Lecturing (except to my kids of course) is way out of my experience and my comfort zone. We are excited to share our thoughts though--we can always talk about quilts! Hope to see some of you there. Please introduce yourselves if you get a chance. Our lecture is entitled A Little Taste of Modern.

Now for some exciting bits of news leading up to the International Quilt Market in Houston at the end of October. The portion we attend is only open to the trade. Quilt Festival follows and that is open to everyone. We have been given some wonderful opportunities in Houston! Again all wows!

We are designing a pattern for a fabulous fabric designer, Jan DiCintio. If you go to her blog and her website you will see all her wonderful designs. She has a brand new line of fabric to add to her company Daisy Janie. It is called Tilly and you can see it here. We can't wait for the fabric to arrive here in Ames. Just you wait to see what we have cooked up for her! Our machines will be humming and our computers will be clicking next week. It will be another new pattern at Market. October will fly by. Wow.

A large fabric company let us know they are using one of our patterns to display a new line of fabric. How awesome is that? Wow. It was a total surprise and an absolutely delightful one at that. We will take photos and share them after market. We neglected to find out if we could share details before posting.

And yet another fabric company approached us about using some of their new fabrics in another one of our patterns. Again, WOW! We are thrilled and excited. The fabrics are perfect for the pattern they have in mind. Again pictures will appear following Quilt Market. And again, we did not ask in time for this post if we could share details. But we actually get to make up samples with their brand new line of fabric!

Thursday, 9/29/11, (in Ireland) we will be guest blogging over at Fluffy Sheep Quilting. Cindy contacted us about participating in her series of posts on Start Your Own .... In our case it is about starting our pattern business. This world is certainly shrinking in a very nice way with the use of the internet. Her questions made us pause a bit and reflect on the business of Modern Quilt Relish. Please visit her blog on Thursday to read more...

So believe me, we are sewing and writing and photographing and blogging and having a ball. Wow.

Till Tuesday...

Spices, Pinwheels and Stuff

2011-09-20T07:21:00.001-05:00

So, do you all have your Dinner Plates together? Lois takes the cake for getting hers posted!

We're getting ready for our talk at the Des Moines AQS show September 30th. If you can make it, we'd love to have your company. There will be prizes and quilts unearthed to make a never -before- seen appearance. You can be the first! It will happen before the snow flies and we're struck inside to sew all winter.

On with the fall domestics...

Architectural spices, duplicate towers!

jill here......Have you ever gone to the grocery store and know you need a spice that you didn't put on the list? So you go shopping through the alphabet, looking, looking. Okay, they're reasonably priced so it's not the end of the world if you cover your bases and get an extra (and another and another). I never realized how many spices start with the letter "C". No wander I couldn't find the cumin when I needed it!

Gotta merge, purge and reorganize!

Neat and tidy in alphabetical order.
Now where's the cumin?

Baby pinwheels ready to send to Miss Ivy.

Stripes are the greatest for pinwheels and binding.

With Minkie on the back, she'll be warm all winter.

Until next Tuesday....

Final Step Dinner Plates Quilt Along

2011-09-13T07:01:00.000-05:00

Marny here...If you have been sewing along with us you have your circles inserted into your blocks. (The three previous posts are available by clicking on Dinner Plates in the right side label bar. It is never to late to join us!)

So let's get this Dinner party started.

With your circle blocks complete, it is time to figure our how to trim them
square. You recall they started out oversized because some distortion
takes place while insetting the circles. It will be fun to figure out what to do with the leftover 12" circles! Any ideas?

Remember the finger pressed line down both axes of the circle? My ruler is 8" across.
I want the block to be 15 1/2" raw(15" finished.) So I place the 7 3/4" (7 3/4 + 7 3/4 = 15 1/2) mark along the fold line, as best I can. Then I trim the fabric off to the right of this ruler.

Back to the two ruler technique we used earlier. See here for a refresher. My long
horizontal ruler on the right is on the 15 1/2" line. I snug my vertical left
ruler up against the end of the first ruler. Next, remove the first ruler and cut along
the ruler on the left.

Two edges are now "square."

The previously trimmed edges are at the top and bottom of this picture. (The scrap to
the left is a leftover from a previous cut. Sorry I didn't notice it when I took the picture. Just pretend it
isn't there, please. ) The ruler's 7 3/4" mark is lined up on the finger pressed axis. Note, the
ruler's top end is used to make sure the cut will be perpendicular to your previously squared edges.
See below.

Close up of the above step and ruler placement. This area is from the side
looking at the top of the square in the above picture.

Last cut. The 15 1/2" mark on the ruler is lined up on the right side. The
"top" of the ruler is aligned with the top edge of the block to make sure the
last cut is square.

Your blocks are now complete. Here is a layout diagram for the queen size quilt.

And here is the layout diagram for the throw size.

Please spread all your blocks out in a mock layout. You might just want

to do a bit of tweaking.

Oops. Time for a confession.
Following my fabric placement chart I end up with too much of the
pink background fabrics on the upper left side. There will need to be some
rearranging after all. Best laid plans and all that...

I exchanged a plain number one fabric block (2nd down on far left column) with

a plain number two fabric block (4th down on the far left column) to balance

out the strong pink areas. Other than that I followed the layout diagram.

Sew your columns together.

Then join the columns.

And your quilt top is done!!!

Wouldn't you know the lighting threw off the pink color for its completion shot! But I still love how it turned out. What do you think?

I hope to find a lovely way to use the 12" leftover circles--any ideas??? Any chunks of fabric leftover will probably go on the back, and I haven't decided whether scrappy or one of the darker pink fabrics for binding. Any opinions?

How are all your quilts coming along? Please note the comments on the previous posts--they lead you to at least one fresh idea from a Crafty Mom in Maine. Our flickr stream has some photos submitted of some fabric choices made by one of our loyal readers.

Again, if you want to join in any time the steps are in the label column to the left by clicking on Dinner Plates. We would love to receive pictures via the "contact us" bar above, and we can put them in the photo stream if you do not know how to add to Flickr.

We will be here next Tuesday, hope you can be too.

Queen of Condiments Cooks Domestic

2011-09-06T07:42:00.002-05:00

jill here....We're giving you a week to get all your Dinner Plates for our free modern quilt along fabricated. (remember to click on Dinner Plates in the right side label sidebar to get all the steps if you haven't been able to follow along.) Until then, you'll have to deal with my noncreative domestic side!

It WAS Labor Day! And nothing like a little company coming to spur me into cleaning mode. Marny, another friend and I are hosting a milestone birthday party for a great friend. The party will be here at my house and these two other hostesses have the tidiest refrigerators in Ames so I had to clean up my act. Refrigerator interior design 101!

Number three child, during his six week home stay, polished off any eatable leftovers. But my family likes condiments and we collect them much the same as fabric - opening new ones before the old ones are consumed. Therefore, there are lots of partially finished options, some getting lost in the back, some not really worth keeping. Soooo, 2008 really has expired! After much sorting, consolidation, rinsing, recycling and cleaning every surface, I'm proud to show you the organized result. My husband was amazed! I've saved face and even room for cupcakes!

A new perspective....

Repetitive patterns, in the door only.

During that successful exercise I was giving thought to my husband's birthday present. Hard to think of a surprise. He has this favorite shirt that is really comfortable but well worn, mostly just frayed in the collar. I had previously considered "turning the collar" but rejected the thought for being crazy. But why not? A real gift to give him back his shirt and truly a surprise.

The favorite shirt.

Only the collar was frayed so I carefully ripped the treads
between the collar and the neck facing.

I then just flipped the collar, tucked it between the open edges
and restitched close to the edge and pressed.

Better than new 'cause it feels good!

Well he was surprised and amazed! Just don't tell him how easy it was. Enough domestic.

Until next Tuesday....

Dinner Plates Free Modern Quilt Pattern, Quilt Along, Sew Along Step 3

2011-08-30T06:48:00.000-05:00

Marny here...welcome back everybody. This is the third post of the modern quilt pattern, Dinner Plates. The quilt along is open to anyone at any time. All the posts can be accessed by clicking on "Dinner Plates" in the Label side bar. Fabric choices were described here and the initial cutting instructions were posted here. We'd love to see any fabric choices, your progress in making blocks, and, of course, completed quilt tops and finished quilts. You can post your photos here please. (You can always email us photos and we can post them. Use the contact bar above to reach us.)

The Great Circle Cutting and Insertion day has arrived.
This is going to be fun!

We will discuss how to cut the circles, followed by how to cut the backgrounds in preparation for inserting the circles. Then I will try to document the actual insertion process. The techniques are also well described on Cheryl Phillips' site. (Please note that her video shows going on to a Drunkard's Path layout. Follow the directions that come with the ruler to cut the circles. The video show the cutting for a Drunkard's Path. Note where we align the folded fabric, not on the seam allowance line, but on the Fold Line. Do not cut your inserted circles into quadrants. We will be using them whole.) I will be using her Cut-A-Round ruler.

The first step is to pair up the each circle fabric with its correct background.

Now we can begin.

Take one "circle" square.

Fold it in half. Finger press.

Fold in half again. Finger press the folds.

Place the Cut-A-Round ruler on the folded fabrics.
The folded edges of the fabric should be under the "Fold Line" markings
on the ruler. (Not the outside, 1/4" seam allowance marking.)

Cut along the 13" line with your 45mm rotary cutter.

Pull away the excess fabric.

And voila, you have a beautiful circle cut with fold lines showing.

Now take the "background" fabric that pairs with the circle you just cut.

Repeat the folding of the square as before. IMPORTANT NOTE: you will cut the "hole" in
the background one inch smaller than the circle you cut before.

So I will be using the 12 inch marking.

Pull away the circle.

And voila, the background to insert your circle into.

Line up your circle, with its fold lines meeting up with the fold lines of the background.

Gently pull the background up and over the circle, and pin,
right sides together, at the fold marks.

Continue around the four fold lines, matching and pinning.

Now you can pin in-between your four pins.
Some of you might be most comfortable using a lot of pins

And others of you will be happiest using fewer pins.

Ready to sew.

Stitch with a quarter inch seam.

Here it is coming out of the back of the machine.

Here it is sewn all the way around.

Press the stitching lightly. Be careful not to press in any creases.

I started with the block facing up. I pressed both thicknesses of the seam
allowance away from the circle.

This is the completed block from the wrong side.

And here it is from the right side. Perfect, and so easy to do!

Get all your circles inserted in the next two weeks. On Tuesday, September 13th I will post Step 4, the final layout for Dinner Plates.

Couple of reminders before I go. Jill and I are teaching our new Market Values pattern on Thursday, September 22nd at the Quilting Connection here in Ames, from 10-4. The class is structured like a mystery class-you won't see the finished project till you are done. Students will be sworn to secrecy, since the pattern is not for sale as yet. $45.00 includes lunch and the pattern. Call 515-233-3048 for more information, or stop in the store to sign up.

And, here is a repeat from the previous post. On Friday, September 30th from 4-5 we are presenting a lecture/trunk show at the Des Moines AQS show. Our talk is entitled "A Little Taste of Modern." We'll discuss techniques, fabrics, design and market influences pertaining to the new modern. We'll explain a bit about the Modern Quilt Guild movement and it's influence on current quilting trends. And of course we will show some quilts and help define some modern quilt elements. There is a whole list of classes and lectures available in addition to all the vendors and quilt shows to inspire your quilting! Come check us out and we'll make it worth your while!

So see you here in two weeks. Let me know if you have any questions about Dinner Plates. And we would love to see your photos!

Cooking up Classes

2011-08-23T06:04:00.000-05:00

jill here....Seems like fall is coming around the corner. Our weather has been beautiful and much nicer to sew with all the windows open! Sometimes when I'm designing, brain freeze occurs and I just have to switch to a less creative mode. This weekend, baby quilts temporarily took over as there is somewhat of a time issue, they are happy and relatively small! So I unearthed a couple from the unfinished pile and brought them close to finished. And the backings are the icing on the cake.....chenille and minkie!

Staggered pastel squares bordered by diagonal dots and striped pastel
chenille for the backing. Just needs a quilting expert!

I love pinwheels! This one is for the more sophisticated baby
.....minkie on the back!

I'll keep you posted as to the completion!

Now on to the mystery! Kelly's test kitchen at the Quilting Connection in Ames (515-233-3048) is presenting our MARKET VALUES as a mystery class! Spend Thursday, September 22nd from 10-4 cooking up our latest modern lap sized, gender friendly quilt. The cost is $45.00 and we provide lunch. The fee includes our newest pattern which will be launched at the Houston market in October. You'll be our pattern testers, sworn to secrecy. We'd love to have any of you sign up!

For the recipe you'll need eight fabrics-four sets of pairs. The Quilting Connection has the specific amounts and some value guidelines to help the selection process. You can contact our email with any other questions. It will be both fun and easily achievable for a great holiday gift!

On Friday, September 30th from 4-5 we are presenting a lecture/trunk show at the Des Moines AQS show. Our talk is entitled "A Little Taste of Modern." We'll discuss techniques, fabrics, design and market influences pertaining to the new modern. We'll explain a bit about the Modern Quilt Guild movement and it's influence on current quilting trends. And of course we will show some quilts and help define some modern quilt elements. There is a whole list of classes and lectures available in addition to all the vendors and quilt shows to inspire your quilting! Come check us out and we'll make it worth your while!

This Friday, August 26th we'll be presenting a trunk show in the Dysart, Iowa. The delightful Isabelle Originals and Ivy Threads quilt shop invited us to speak at 6pm. It will be fun to meet new friends from Northeast Iowa. Email Robin for info.

Onto the comments from our recent, very scientific survey....Again, we are most grateful to those of you who answered. And not only did you give us some useful information, it helped us feel more connected to you on the other side. So what if we have to use bribery!

It is no surprise that most of you are modernists, not totally throwing away your traditional roots. Many of you don't choose to purchase patterns, which we suspected. You are very creative and improvisational. Then again, many of you are collectors of patterns and books; sometimes one or the other. I can say that since I started designing, I certainly purchase fewer patterns and some books. Part of it is confidence, the other is time (not enough to possibly make it). There is sometimes reward in creating "what you see is what you get". In remaking samples, I just follow the pattern and don't have to endure any brain freezes! Patterns are more affordable, especially in these economic times.

As to the quilt pattern photography, it seems that flat out, total representation is the choice. More options are better. You know that it can be fun to take a chance with your own fabric selections! We recommend you try it and send us pictures of your vision.

Enjoy your week and check back next Tuesday for Marny's Dinner Plates quilt along circle instructions.

The Winner is...and Dinner Plates Free Modern Quilt Pattern, Quilt Along, Sew Along Cutting Instructions

2011-08-16T07:02:00.000-05:00

The winner is..... Bijoux Baby! We'll be in contact with you to ship your fabric and patterns. I do sort of have egg on my face as we really didn't have 100 comments but I'm telling you, it was just so good to hear from you!! Thank you so much. Your comments were so helpful and thoughtful. Next week I'll give a full report as to what we discovered (not that you can't read it for yourselves). Again, THANK YOU, we love having you comment! Now, on to Dinner Plates!

Marny here...hope you all had fun choosing your fabrics! New or old, playing with fabric choices is always fun. I went with all "fresh" fabric. My choices are described in the previous Dinner Plates post.

It is best to make a little chart assigning numbers to your six fabrics. If you have chosen a scrappier look with half yard cuts or fat quarters you'll just need to pay attention that you come out with the right number of each of the cutting categories. You'll see what I mean in a moment.

It is advisable to take the time to label your fabrics 1 thru 6.

There are three cutting categories.
1. Plain blocks.
2. The backgrounds you will insert your circles into.
3. Squares of fabric you then cut your circle from. (Cutting the circles from these squares will be described in Step 3, on August 30th.)

Dinner Plates has 15" finished blocks. Therefore the plain blocks are cut 15 1/2". It is useful to cut the squares for background larger than 15 1/2" so that you can make them nice and square once the circle is inserted. I advise 16 1/2" - 18" for this. The squares for circles are 14 1/2" - 16".

This being said, you could now make the decision to make a slightly larger quilt with the fabric you already have. You could make your blocks finish at 16". Your Queen would then finish 96" x 96" and your throw would finish 64" x 80". You would need to enlarge all the cuts by one inch to do this safely and easily.

Here are the cutting charts for Dinner Plates. Be sure to follow the one for the size you are making!

So for this Step 2 of Dinner Plates all you have to do is cut numerous large squares. Large square rulers of just the right size are nice, but who has one for every size?

If you haven't cut large squares let me assure you it is easy. I am going to show you how using two long rulers and then show how to do it if you don't have two long rulers but do have a variety of squares or smaller rulers.

The fabric is folded in half , with the selvages away from me. Trim a clean, perpendicular edge.

Using two long rulers, align one with the required measurement on the freshly cut edge.
Lay the second ruler perpendicular to this, with the one of its straight markings aligned with
the folded edge of the fabric. Remove the first ruler (the horizontal ruler above) and cut
along the right edge of the remaining ruler. You will have a strip the required measurement.
I will show the next step in a bit. For more on working with two rulers for general cutting go here.

Here I show using two square rulers and a long ruler. I am cutting a 15 1/2" strip.
The first ruler I put down was the 12 1/2" square one. Then I placed the yellow smaller
square ruler right against it and carefully aligned the clean edge of the fabric under
the 3" mark on the ruler. (Yes, 12 1/2 + 3 = 15 1/2) Then I put the long ruler along the left side
of the squares, making sure a line followed the fold of the fabric,
removed the two square rulers, and made the cut.

Here the resulting 15 1/2" strip has been turned on its side. The fold of the fabric is to the left.
Clean up the right edge. (This will be the selvage edge. Be sure to cut in far enough to
remove them both completely.)

Repeat with the two rulers or the multiple rulers.

And there you have it! Beautiful squares. Sorry that the angle of the camera causes my
squares to look deceptively like rectangles.

Here are my three completed piles. I've labeled them plain blocks,
backgrounds, and circles.

This is the Cut A Round ruler by Cheryl Phillips that I use. It makes cutting circles easy.

Don't you just love the little piles the trimming pieces and scraps
form at the end of a cutting session? See you August 30th for the great circle
cutting and inserting day!

PLEASE, Don't Make Me Eat My Words

2011-08-13T17:05:00.000-05:00

We need your comments to give foundation to our analysis! Please just tell us what you think by answering the FIVE EASY QUESTIONS. Then you can go sew! I'll be very grateful. jill

Fabirc and Pattern Givaway for Five Easy Questions

2011-08-09T07:30:00.000-05:00

Our Newest Patterns and A Jellyroll Givaway!

jill here... Okay Followers and Bloggers, sometimes we feel lonely. We know you all are out there because we can read our statistical information BUT you don't always say much. Here's your chance! We've been making our latest samples to get our trunk show up and running. Some of our second samples are the same as our originals, some we've changed up a bit. If you answer the following five questions, you will have a random chance to win the "Wee Woodland" jelly roll by Keiki for Moda and all 4 of our newest patterns. There needs to be at least 100 of you to comment or this won't fly (and then I'll have to think of something else). Even our friends in the Ukraine, Australia and Venezuela are eligible. Don't make me think any harder. This is scientific research!

Yesterday we went searching for some interesting photography backgrounds. The sun was not particularly cooperative and we weren't able to set up the tripod so these are preliminary, but you can still get the picture (right?)!

1. Do you prefer traditional or modern design?

2. Do you buy quilting patterns?

3. Do you buy quilting books?

Our newest baby NIBBLES presented flat out (and slightly out of focus).

Baby NIBBLES presented in a modern context.

4. If you buy patterns, would you rather see the quilt represented totally "flat out" or would you prefer if it had an artistic, not totally visible presentation?

BRIOCHE AND BAGUETTE punched up.

I bet you didn't know we had a beach in Ames!

5. If you buy patterns, would you like to see more than one option on the cover?

In order to be eligible, all you need to do is answer all five of the questions simply. You can embellish your answers if you wish. We'll announce our winner next week along with the cutting instructions for "Dinner Plates". Stay tuned!

Dinner Plates Free Modern Quilt Pattern, Quilt Along, Sew Along

2011-08-02T07:19:00.000-05:00

Marny here...Welcome everyone. Yippee, we get to start today with choosing fabrics!

The steps to the quilt will be given every other week. They will remain easily accessible in our sidebar under the link Dinner Plates.

Let me remind you what the completed Dinner Plate quilt looks like. It is a queen size. Directions will also be given for the throw. (The throw involves the same size blocks, just fewer of them.)

The sample quilt has a range of contemporary fabrics in soft pastels. They combine to give a bit of a blended look. It is soft and summery. I might choose fabrics in a wider range of values (lights to darks) if they were available and did not take over from the pretty florals I started with.

I had fun in the Quilting Connection the other day choosing piles of fabric to represent choices that would be great fun to make up into Dinner Plates. (If any of you are around the area I am sure the store could get the fabrics together for you, or a close facsimile, if you mention they are in our blog.)

First let's look at a grouping of fresh contemporary fabrics.

The white on pink polka dot is a Maywood, Going on Thirty. The remaining fabrics,
left to right, are all Free Spirit by Dena Designs. They are Kumari Garden-Sacha,
Leanika-Gemstone, Kumari Garden-Tarika, Kumari Garden-Sanjay,
and Kumari Garden-Jeevan.

Now look at a grouping of batiks.

The batiks range from blue into green, the picture shows a bit
more yellow in the green than there really is. There is a variety
of textures/patterns, scales, and hue.

And finally, take a peek at a cute grouping of Children's novelty prints. This one is hard to resist.

The whales and the butterflies are Robert Kaufman Urban Zoologie by Ann Kelle.
The white with green polka dots is a Lakehouse fabric. The tone on tone green
is Moda Summerhouse by Lily Ashbury. The multicolored dot on pink is again a
Robert Kaufman Dot Remix by Ann Kelle and the tone on tone pink dot is another
Robert Kaufman fabric called a Mixmaster Dot.

To summarize fabric selection.

A minimum of six different fabrics are required. You can certainly have a scrappier quilt using half yards or fat quarters. Try to have a range of values (light to dark), textures, pattern, scale and a pleasing color story. All the fabrics will end up either next to or in conjunction with one another. Most importantly though, HAVE FUN!!!

Cutting instructions will be posted Tuesday, August 16th.

So everybody tell your friends, pass it around, join in and let us know if you have questions or comments. We love to hear from you.

Till Tuesday...

Nibbles Revisited: Stay Tuned for Modern Quilt Along

2011-07-26T07:09:00.000-05:00

jill here....While Marny prepares for the "quilt along"( starting next week), I'll invite you to join in the fun. If you have never pieced a circle it is a great chance to gain a new skill. It looks harder than it really is and the more you practice, the better you get. Grab a partner and meet the challenge.

On with Nibbles revisited. When we design patterns, we're always trying to find appealing fabric selections. It's fun to change things up and showcase different options. Our trunk show samples allow us play time.

We recently visited Robin at Isabelle Originals and Ivy Threads in Dysart, Iowa. What a cute shop with fun fabric and a very welcoming atmosphere! A Kaffe Facette fabric "Paisley Jungle"spoke to me for a remake of our pattern Nibbles. It is quite colorful, contemporary and different from the original on our published cover. I decided to try the large scale print as a background, using smaller scale prints as the nibbles. The print was not nondirectional but had enough movement in both directions; I thought it could still be successful.

Kaffe Fassett's (Rowan Fabrics) "Paisley Jungle"

First attempt with variety of 10 values, colors and prints.
Once the strip sets were finished, it appeared too crazy
with no place for the eye to rest (and not in keeping
with the intention of the pattern).

Searching for a narrower color range.... these analogous colors
have a tighter range, less pattern but the dots yelled out
above the rest. I was looking for more balance.

Five Kona solid values ranging from red to pink seem to be the best option.
The solids gives a clean edge to the squares. The lighter values
will give some variety in the overall visual effect.

The red works for two reasons: there is only a small amount
of it in the background (creating contrast)
and it's the complementary color to a
mostly green background.

Off to Dysart. We'll check on it later. See you next Tuesday for the Quilt Along.

Free Modern Quilt Pattern and Modern Quilt Along Coming Soon!

2011-07-19T06:15:00.000-05:00

Marny here...

Let me share a few announcements, in no particular order.

First, we had two of our quilts in Sisters, Oregon at Jean Wells' shop, The Stitchin' Post, during the big quilt show they just had. A picture was passed along to us via Jeanne who got it from Rose. We really got a kick out of seeing the display of Leftovers (on the seat of the chair) and Bowtie Pasta with a Twist (on the back of the chair) in such a well known shop. Thank you letting us see them in place.

Second, let me remind you all again that the Des Moines Area Modern Quilt Guild will be meeting this Thursday, the 21st. Please take a look here to get more information about the Guild and this meeting and take special note of the nametag discussion. It is going to be great fun!

Third, let me introduce you to Dinner Plates. Jill motivated me to create this summery quilt in a bit of a challenge she gave me a few years ago. She said "try using circles in a modern quilt" and look what happened. It became a large quilt for a queen sized bed. Often the challenges we give one another either end up as small projects or as permanent WIPs so this was a happy surprise. It was fun using large and small scale fabrics, some fabrics that read "solid" and a tight color scheme. April finished it off with some special quilting!

A Dinner Plate block.

A "without" Dinner Plate block.

I've decided to blog about the steps involved in creating Dinner Plates in several upcoming posts. You can turn it into a quilt along so please join in. This queen size and a scaled down throw size will be described in the pattern.

Fabric selection and fabric quantities for making the Dinner Plates quilt will be posted August 2nd. The steps will probably be posted every other week. I am having great fun because I get to use color in my diagrams. Yipee! It is more of an immediate visual treat for me, I must say. When creating patterns to be printed commercially the diagrams and steps have to be in black and white.

I am hopeful I can create a pdf of the entire pattern that will be available for you to download once we have reached the end of the process or you can choose to follow along in the posts. All the steps will appear when you click on the label Dinner Plates in the label column if you miss any as we go along.

Is anybody interested in joining in?

Till Tuesday...

Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild and lets get the Modern Quilt Relish Trunk Show on the Road

2011-07-12T08:56:00.001-05:00

Marny here...Just a heads up that the Des Moines Area Modern Quilt Guild has a meeting the 21st. Everyone with an interest in the Modern Quilt Guild movement is welcome.

We are getting all our samples bound and are just about ready to start official Trunk Shows. I have a small sample to finish binding today. It is a really cute baby/wall version of Nibbles. We have already posted our binding tutorial. You can click on it in the right sidebar. Today I want to show you how I trim my quilts before putting the binding on. Everyone has their own method, but here is mine.

I like square corners. Many of the quilts I have made in the past as store samples have ended up on the walls of the Quilting Connection in downtown Ames. (Lots of our current quilts and patterns and kits are there now of course.) When you work in a store all day and view your own quilts up for all to see it is discouraging when the binding detracts from the quilt. Square corners are so much nicer than warped, curved or otherwise oddly shaped ones. A square corner starts with the trimming of the quilt. I do not grade my batting/backing as I trim. Others have success with that system, but here is what I do.

I am lucky in many ways. First, these quilts have been quilted by a long arm quilter. April does a wonderful job and the quilts are evenly quilted and lie very flat when we get them back. She has advised us to stitch the quilt tops 1/8" or so from the edge all the way around before she quilts them. This does help stabilize the top a bit during the quilting process.

Second, I have a large cutting table. I prefer cutting on my green mat, it seems kinder to my blades, even though the entire surface is covered with a cutting mat. (We get quirky the longer we quilt.)

Third, my rulers are awesome. There are long ones and large square ones that make this job so easy.

You will see MasterPiece and two Creative Grid rulers here.

I also have a large Olfa cutting blade that is great for cutting through the quilt with its additional batting.

So here we go...

1. Smooth out your quilt on whatever surface you are using. A large table is good so that the quilt stays flat and not in some rumpled state as you trim. You can scoot a smaller mat around as you need it to cut on. Just be careful not to nick a surface other than your mat.

2. Start along an edge with a corner included in the first cut.

3. Be sure to line up the corner both horizontally and vertically under your ruler. Keep it as "square" as you can. You might need to cut a bit away from the edge of the quilt to do so. Just make sure this "fudge factor" is less than the seam allowance you use to apply the binding.

Here the ruler is being "squared" on the corner. The trimming will
be on the right length of the ruler.

The quilt is trimmed along one side.

4. Turn the quilt, smooth it out and start working up the other side. Sometimes a good sized square is handy on larger quilts, but on these smaller ones my wide, long rulers should do the trick.

5. Again line up corner number two both horizontally and vertically under the ruler.

6. Here is one corner completed.

7. Repeat all the way around the perimeter of your quilt.

8. Now it is time to bind with a scrappy binding of the fabrics used in the quilt. A completed quilt is just around the corner! (and it will be a square corner)

Till Tuesday...

Quilting Line Forms Here

2011-07-05T06:36:00.000-05:00

Marny's turn...It started innocently enough. I was choosing thread for the circular quilting lines I planned for my ongoing Wave project. (The straight lines I had originally envisioned were pushed aside by the concentric circles that result when you drop a pebble in water.)

These four all have potential crossing the Kona snow background and the pieced lines.

It is a good idea to spread your thread choices across the surface to allow you to make a decision with some basis.

But then a new idea popped into my head and I tried it out on a sheet of paper.

Cool wave opportunities rev up the imagination.

So I tried it out on a plain quilt sandwich. All along I am thinking too much thread and too many lines for my current project. But the inspiration moves me forward.

It starts out simply enough, and I stay on track at first.

The intersecting lines and spaces are intriguing.

But then I lose my concept and stray from what I learned in the drawing.
The crossover point is important to keep consistent.

The wave is kind of lost, but it is a learning experience.

So with nothing to lose, I started adding lines below then
above the original set.

Lots of movement, but not believable as waves. Twisting yes, wave action no.

Quilting lines are important in your quilts. Their first job is to keep the layers of your quilt together through whatever use and laundering methods you have planned for it. But they also can serve to reinforce the look you hope to achieve for your quilt. The scale of the quilting shape, the density of the line, the geometry or organic flow of the stitching and the color of thread all need to be considered when making your quilting choice. Quilting often makes the quilt come alive.

The Wave quilt is already about lines of waves. The blocks are simple and there is a relatively large amount of negative space. So I am heading back to simple lines of quilting. I'm hopeful the experimentation today will show up somewhere else before long. The practice and exploration has my mind hopping with ideas.

Till next Tuesday.

Modern Technology and a Twist

2011-06-28T13:31:00.000-05:00

jill here...An interesting situation arose last week while I was checking orders. Someone on quiltingboard.com posted a comment on one of our quilts (thank you very much) and it started an unusual situation. Our Paypal site wasn't functioning correctly and others wanted to purchase the pattern so there were requests via our email. Evidently the Paypal site was "under construction" so we retrieved information and were able to send the patterns off to their new creators. It was fun to chat with people more directly.

Now this is a challenge that is hard to complain about. Our business would not have been possible even ten years ago. So it's really incredible that blog sites, secure payment systems and hundreds of you out there in the quilt abyss keep us going. We are grateful and thank you. Please let us know how we can engage you in our journey.

Now on to the twist... Have you ever seen those little bits of fabric sewn into garlands? When I recently observed a mobile, I thought it would be fun to adapt it to fabric in a vertical format.

I started with a dot and a stripe and fused them right sides together.

I sliced them into 3 1/2" lengths by a 1/4" wide. Looks like spagetti confetti.

I press them in half to identify the center (important for balance).

Looks like a spider; not what I was going for!
The strips were too long and not rigid enough.
The fabric, although fun, was too busy and confusing.

So I shortened the strip and fed it centered through the presser foot.
I used regular thread and took three stitches between strips.

Getting there, but not quite yet.

So I fused with a heavier weight interfacing,
choosing a larger scale stripe, cut on the bias,
same on both sides. I was attempting to create the barber pole twist

This time I pressed in half before cutting from a 2 12" width strip.
I'm getting smarter....

So final test: Instead of just thread, I used a narrow ribbon. It looks more finished but doesn't have as much spin. I added a few beads at top and bottom to finish.

Always different from expectation, but fun!
Till next Tuesday.....

Waves with a nod to Modern Quilt Design Elements

2011-06-21T07:03:00.003-05:00

Marny here...back to Hot today-Modern Quilts are Too! posted two weeks ago. Options have been considered, a direction committed to, and the table runner top completed.

I was aiming for using lots of negative space and asymmetry. In this case, the negative space is Kona Cotton Snow. The layout will give the asymmetry.

The first step was to cut the "beach glass" blocks into 7 1/2" squares that will finish 7". Sets of three seemed appropriate. They had enough repetition and enough variety to be visually interesting.

The next step was to work on layout. I had something in mind, but it seemed a good idea to stop and test the idea.

The "verticals" off kilter were fun but not what I wanted to portray.

The "verticals" fall on the same horizontal. Again a layout that was not that supportive of my vision.

Now we are getting somewhere!

One last decision to explore-sashing or no. I am thinking no, but again it doesn't hurt to mock it up.

With sashing in between the columns and

without sashing. Getting better.

Sewn together. 21" x 56" finished.

Negative space and asymmetry abound. These are two design elements that make this project a modern one. I look forward to quilting it vertically.

All along the process I was dreaming of the beach. You see, I am just back from Hawaii - a fun high school reunion and a fantastic family vacation. Once you have lived near an ocean, waves are part of your being. At least they are part of mine. And it was never about beach glass but about sets of waves coming to shore. The colors are those of the Pacific.

Bear with me and enjoy part of Hawaii's beauty.

Textures and colors

Scents of flowers

Tropical critters

The nightly ritual of the sun setting on the horizon.

Till Tuesday then....

Modern Quilts....Hot or Cold?

2011-06-14T12:04:00.001-05:00

jill here....Since we took a "process" pledge, I have to share a recent dilemma while creating a Flatbread sample. Usually color is my strength and not my challenge but sometimes, experience is the best teacher (or gets in the way)!

Perhaps only having four colors leaves little room for error. Value is maybe even more important than color and I had already figured out that puzzle. The pattern calls for four values: light, medium light, medium print and a dark. I had selected the medium print (green leaf print with some blue on a neutral ground) at the quilt shop, hoping for universal appeal. The light background worked well and the mottled medium seemed the appropriate value. The dark was similar to the green in the print only darker, more yellow than blue.

Dark

Medium light

Light

Medium print

Sorry about the color but you can see the discordance.

The problem seemed to me that the medium light and the medium print were "blurry". There just wasn't enough definition between the two to make it more exciting. So I had some choices: change the color or the texture, trying to keep the value similar. I went back to the quilt shop and purchased a blue small texture (trying to relate to the blue in the medium print). Still not right! The blue was too clear (pastel), too light in value and didn't work with the earthy undertone of the medium print.

Well now it was too late to shop so I had to find something from the stash. After unsewing the previous attempts I was discouraged but finally came up with a gold. The value was right, the texture was nearly perfect and the color was still questionable. I had to remind myself that you don't have to marry every choice of fabric!

So ultimately what I was reminded of is that there is an undertone that affects the color balance. There was this gold, earthy undertone that keep influencing the direction I should take. My resistance has a lot to do with avocado green and harvest gold in my previous life. Surely someone will like it!

'Till next Tuesday....

Hot Today - Modern Quilts are too!

2011-06-07T10:12:00.005-05:00

Marny here...

The forecast in this morning's paper says it all. "Be prepared to deal with hot temperatures again today. Our highs will be in the middle 90's. There will be a gusty south wind that may feel like a blowtorch." For some reason that description seemed very apt to me!

So down to the sewing room I go. The temperature is better and there is fabric to play with. The scraps sorted on my cutting table are calling to me. One pile in particular seems to be all about "cool." It happens to be made up of the analogous colors: green to blue-green to sort of blue. There are three values of each.

They happen to be the leftovers from one of our new patterns called Supper Club. I have a variety of little pieced units remaining. I love the cool colors of the ocean, grass and sky. Slicing and dicing will commence.

The little strip sets get cut into unequal portions.

Another scrap gets cut into 1 1/2" strips. Not sure at this point why, except that it seems it might be useful down the line.

The little units are stitched to a background strip.

Cut apart and pressed. Then sewn to another, wider strip of background.

Cut apart and pressed to reveal "blocks".

Playing with layout 1.

Layout 2.

Layout 3.

Lots of playing and decisions to be made. The blocks purposefully have unequal amounts of background on either side. I may add some to the top and/or bottom of the blocks as well. Then they will be trimmed down. At this point, a really asymmetric result with more negative space is what I have in mind. But there is a lot of flexibility built into the process. It will also need a something unexpected to add visual interest.

This process would be great for many of the pieces we are left with after finishing a quilt. The little center "stripes" don't have to be pieced leftovers, they could be any fabric. Just think of the baby quilts and table runners that could result. Give it a try!

See you next Tuesday.

Market Connections

2011-05-31T09:56:00.000-05:00

jill here...Vending at market for the first time is an unusual experience in that one needs to stay put to meet potential customers! Previously, as a part of a retail group, one wanted to cover as much ground as humanly possible. Two very different creatures. But eventually, nature called and I was forced out into the world of visual overload. It was hard to take it in, not knowing what I was after. On one of my expeditions, I discovered this wonderful booth. It caught my eye as it was minimalist, very creative and of course, PURSES!

Purses hung and labeled with grommets and carabiners - on a white background.

Jen Giddons is a student of interior design, no surprise.

This is Jen, who so graciously allowed me to photograph her booth.
Check out her website and blog.

On Sunday, as we were sitting, guarding our patterns, this very energenic shopper stopped by. She greeted us with a very positive welcome (like I like your quilts) and then scoped out the booth. Her next comment was to the effect of "Why haven't I seen your patterns before?" My eyes picked up on the Pink Chalk Fabrics below her name. Well, we had initially sent her a complimentary packet.... We laughed, had a great conversation and received some valuable feedback. Now Pink Chalk Fabrics
carries nine of our ten patterns. (For those who do not know, this is a great online store based on Bainbridge Island in the state of Washington. Beautiful place, by the way.) You can see our patterns here and order the appropriate yardage of her wonderful lines of fabric at the same time. Thank you Kathy Mack.

Kathy from Pink Chalk Fabrics.

The most rewarding aspect of market is to meet the retailers on the other side. They are all trying to find what is new and beautiful to encourage their customers. We hope we can support them with a fresh, fun aesthetic.

Marny here...working on a new format for this blog. Changes will start taking place today. One such change will be our online pattern shop moving to its own page. You will be able to access it, and other bits of information, by clicking on the appropriate box underneath the Modern Quilt Relish header. Our four new patterns will be there too! I've been organizing lots of the information resulting from Spring Quilt Market. Soon we should have a list of stores carrying our patterns. They are now in the US, Canada, France and Germany. Our acceptance in the Modern Quilting world has been very exciting for us. More announcements to come.

Till Tuesday....

Modern Quilts Spring Up

2011-05-24T07:38:00.002-05:00

jill here....The change in views during our week in Salt Lake City was noteworthy. When we left Ames, the leaves on the trees were just opening. A week later, the plains and hillsides seemed to have exploded with that deeper green. Amazing what rain, warmth and sunshine can stimulate. So when we arrived home, we just had to do some dirt digging.....cross training with flowers!

Why is it that what is on hand is never quite the right ratio? Not enough flowers so you go for more, then you run out of soil, need an additional pot or two. Don't forget the fertilizer and then there is the perpetual watering. What a reward in a month or two...

While Marny is preparing the blog for our permanent pages (and pattern posting) I'll give you a brief description of our newest designs. It will be your challenge to find the right quilt according to the description! The quilts have options to be cut from fat quarters, precuts or yardage.

Supper Club: Named to celebrate dining together, this quilt appears in analogous colors set on white for a modern look. The mosaic block is either strip pieced or a large scale print can be used for a quicker result. (The cute kid's quilt version is not visible from this photo so you'll have to wait.)

Cheddar, No Crackers: Random squares are plated on a nondirectional background. There's a pattern, just disguised. Little bits of cheese placed asymmetrically add focus and interest. The baby version uses a large scale nondirectional print background with bright pastel blocks.

TV Dinner: Five inch precuts set a retro table on a solid background. Remember those frozen dinners that were a special treat? Add a spicy accent and a tempting large scale print. There is another version to the far bottom right of the photo utilizing fat quarters.

Nibbles: Taste the five delicious nibbles in each asymmetrical block. If you're still hungry, the border features additional bites. Sewn from strip bundles, little glimpses of color or pattern pop out of the large negative spaces which are perfect for quilting.

Enjoy spring. See you next Tuesday!

A taste of Spring Quilt Market

2011-05-16T22:00:00.000-05:00

We will be blogging about Salt Lake City Quilt Market and showing our new patterns over the coming weeks.

Take a peek at booth set up (without pictures of Troy and his forklift.)

A work in progress...

We hung, we pulled down to present Schoolhouse, and rehung.

Getting closer.

Jill and Jeanne (our former boss and indispensable advisor!)

Marny adding more.

Initial chaos.

and more..

Booth central.

Right side of the booth

Shift to the left, done.

`
We had an absolutely wonderful adventure.

Final leg into Salt Lake City

2011-05-11T23:01:00.000-05:00

Guess what we woke up to (and got to drive through for awhile...)

The road cooperated and dried off.

Then the sun came out and the distant mountains came into view.

Followed by the gorgeous mountains heading into Salt Lake City.

We are calling it a day. It was a good day. Our booth is making progress, tomorrow we will whip it into shape.

See you soon.

Two views today

2011-05-10T21:23:00.000-05:00

Bird watchers in Ogallala.

Sunset over the mountains outside Laramie.

Blame Amy, she wanted pictures.

Tomorrow, Salt Lake City.

Salt Lake City here we come!

2011-05-10T06:11:00.000-05:00

As you know we are soon to head to Salt Lake City to exhibit at Spring Quilt Market. We are so excited. Who know what we will see, who we will meet, or what will inspire us? But we are eager to take it all on.

So we packed

and we packed

and we make sure we could see out.

We strapped those quilts in...

Soon we'll be off.
We hope to share photos from Quilt Market, but it might be more than we can accomplish.
See you next Tuesday...we are excited for what the week will bring.

Des Moines Modern Quilt Guild

2011-05-03T06:04:00.000-05:00

Marny here...Don't you just love discovering something new and awesome? Here are two such finds for me.

The first concerns The Modern Quilt Guild. We have been watching it spread across the country and the world, city by city, hoping for some industrious Central Iowans to start up a guild nearby. Lo and behold, guess what? Des Moines is getting one! Yeah. Their first meeting is going to be Thursday, May 19th. Go here to find out more. I have joined their network, and it was very easy. Can't wait to be part of the guild. There is a Modern Quilt Guild "button" in our side bar now, too. You can just click on that to head on over to their main site any time.

We are especially pleased to have been asked to judge a competition the Ann Arbor Modern Quilt Guild is having. What an honor for us! Can't wait to see what these talented members are working on.

The second discovery is the High Trestle Trail, an absolutely amazing addition to Central Iowa. Wow! This "you gotta see." I am so glad my husband had us participate in the grand opening events.

The details add beauty...a river bed of rocks?

Little gems set amongst the ordinary...

View from the western side of the bridge.

Walking towards the sculptural adventure....the artist is depicting going down one of the many mine shafts once in the area. It does give you a real sense of descent.

Closer still...

The views of the Des Moines River are wonderful...

Go check out the beauty that is Iowa...
or the wonders of your own environment. And while you are at it, check out the Modern Quilt Guild near you. Till Tuesday...

Experiment for "fun", grrr...

2011-04-26T08:02:00.000-05:00

Marny here...Sometimes a little bit of an idea pops into your head. This time it started with a method for making half square triangles. But wonder if you don't care if there are straight lines, or equal portions, or matching anything. Sounds like fun and experimenting ensues.

It is easy to get hung up on finding just the right fabrics, or worrying about the size and shapes to start with. To keep things relaxed and enjoyable, though, I won't worry about the details. The fabric stash is raided and this is what shows up.

Squares might be the simplest choice. Some Kaffe Fassett with solids will be fun.

So here is where the plan took off from. This illustrates traditional half square triangle construction.

Stack two fabrics of equal size right sides together. Draw a line from corner to corner. Stitch 1/4" on either side of this drawn line. Next, cut it along the line. And you have two equal half square triangle units. Lots of quilters oversize the squares from the start so that the final units can be trimmed to the exact size called for.

Now let's see what happens when there is no straight line to dictate where the seams are. I will still aim for approximately 1/2" between stitch lines so that the seams will each be about 1/4". If the curve is too sharp it won't work, but gentle curves are worth exploring. The seam can be trimmed just a bit if pressing becomes difficult.

What was I thinking? My vision is no where near what I ended up with. But now I know. Even the slightest curve makes it difficult to move forward with piecing.

Grrrr. Of course. So a slice here...

and a strip there...

nothing so far. But no harm done either. Learning is not based on experiments that you know the outcome of. Something may come of this way down the road.

And speaking of "down the road". Luckily our preparation for Spring Quilt Market is more predictable (at least so far). The patterns, flyers, business cards and signs are all being printed. Display details are being hammered out. Our Schoolhouse presentation is moving along. Most importantly the quilts are all done and waiting for their debut. All good. Two weeks from today we set off on the adventure.

See you next week.

And let the FUN begin....

2011-04-19T07:33:00.003-05:00

jill here....Well our four babies are off to the printers. Its been a week of editing, fine tuning and lots of computer time for Marny. So we had a chuckle over the package seal on the carpet tiles. And actually, we have been looking forward to designing our market booth! Sorting through the tiles and placing them according to plan is like working on a giant quilt. Imagine that.

Marny illustrating color selection.

Taking shape.

While the rest of the booth remains a puzzle, I'll make just a few comments on the Color Marketing Group at www.colormarketing.org It's a fun website to check in on every now and then. Of course, the group forecasts, not dictates, color trends in industry and media. Cars, interiors, and tabletops see the changes before fabric. Certain areas like NYC and the west coast see the changes faster than the midwest. I guess we like the tried and true.

It seams that colors will remain warmer (hopeful for the weather, too). The reds are earthier with copper metalics emphasized. There is influence of China and India in these hues. The newest arriaval is "Honey Moon": mellow, golden, toned with hints of orange. I'm anxious to see that one on a car!

Don't you just love the names they come up with? One of the interior paint schemes on HGTV's site is named pumpkin and asparagus; brings back haunts of harvest gold and avocado green. We've come full circle. I guess that dates me. I swore I'd never use that gold again but maybe its been long enough. It seems to be creeping into my palates.

So pay attention to the colors around you. I see glimmers of navy returning but it's still hard to find in fabric. The two most difficult fabric hues for me to find are true yellow and blue violet. Let me know if you spot them. Polka dots and plaids, straight clean lines and green are still in. One forecaster says that what makes colors different from year to year is how you put them together in fresh innovative ways. It's our job, quilters!

Come check us out!

Till next Tuesday....

Walk Along the Design Path

2011-04-12T07:23:00.000-05:00

Marny here...Sometimes beauty is pretty blatant and very accessible.

And sometimes you have to do some searching and believe in time you will run across it.

You start walking down a path that you have tried before, and maybe even more than once, but this time with just a day or two of extra warmth and a bit of sunshine, miracles happen.

Coming up with a new design is kind of like this too. We all go down paths we have explored before, but something clicks, we add to or subtract from the original idea and all of a sudden it is right. We explore with the tools of balance, scale, color, texture, line and we push and pull and all of a sudden we have something we want to share.

Jill and I have come up with four fresh modern quilt designs that are heading to the printer in less than a week. We are a month away from setting up our first booth at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City. So many details to be taken care of and ideas for display are rattling around in our heads that we need to pause and enjoy the miracles of spring (and for that matter of good quilt design.) Enjoy the arrival of the upcoming season wherever you live.

Till Tuesday.

It Ain't Dumb Luck it's Modern Quilting

2011-04-05T07:08:00.000-05:00

Marny here...There is a brouhaha lurking in the quilt blogging world. It may be a tempest in a teapot, but that won't stop us from weighing in. Here is a set of three blog posts that caused the furor. We found out about it reading Jacquie Gering's blog Tall Grass Prairie Studio on Friday April 1st. I left a response supportive of Jacquie on her comment sheet.

It is hard to fairly paraphrase the pages of "the dumbing down of quilting" posts. The phrase "dumbing down" seems a bit derogatory, though, any way you read the posts.

It ain't dumb luck that many Modern Quilts are gorgeous in their simplicity. Reducing a composition to simple forms is not easy. I can make complicated blocks, repeat them over and over, and put borders on them too. (And I have.) But that phase is behind me now. Modern design principles, balance, scale and value are all important in what appears simple. It is not dumbed down.

And for all the quilters having fun, whether they are designing or just having fun playing with fabric and producing quilts to be enjoyed and used, use whatever techniques suit you. If wonky is fun don't let anyone stop you. Do what makes you want to continue. There is room for every type of quilter and every type of blogger in the quilting world.

jill here....I'm not going to read what Marny just wrote so it will probably be somewhat redundant. I'm guessing she gave you an introduction as to the debate....

We all make quilts for different reasons. It's most always a sense of accomplishment to complete a quilt and be happy with the outcome. Keeping the design fun and easy to execute leads to more successes and often plants a desire to try something new and more complex. But, complex doesn't have to be complicated!

One of the reasons Marny and I started designing patterns was because we were not seeing a lot of the more contemporary/modern design esthetics. Incorporating good design and fresh modern fabrics with well written instructions has been our goal. I would hope that our designs are not "dumbing down" but making more with less. We all want to create smarter, not harder and have fun with it.

So enter into the discussion as you wish, we really love to hear you comments! 'Till Tuesday....

modern techniques, modern mistakes

2011-03-29T15:14:00.002-05:00

Jill here.....Remember last week's challenge? The saga continues! I thought I would be clever and use some previous tested ideas and incorporate them with a few new ones. I had two blocks that were together - sew to speak. This is one of them.

I proceeded to cut the block into lots of smaller cubes and rectangles. Looks like a mess? It is.

I chose four interesting squares and tried several positions and decided that a dark sashing might be the best solution. It would tie them together and then I would make the connection with the quilting.

Mock up of the four pieces.

Actual block sewn together.

I squared the block and then added a pillow backing so that the edges were finished;

I added a layer of batting through the back opening and then quilted it.

Pillow backing to turn right sides out.

This is the disaster.

The problems were that the sashing was nearly the same size as the strips in the block.
You can't see it , but I pressed the sashing up when it should have been down.
Thirdly the strips didn't line up and they were too wacky to correct so the quilting
lines were skewed. And, too many lines crossing in crazy directions.

So, I totally unsewed the block, thinking I will make this right even if it kills me.
Well I'm here to tell you that it got the better of me. Black thread on dark fabric
is not fun to take out!

Second and last try!

The sashing width was better but very technically hard to align with the seam allowances.
I did not pursue this experiment any further.

Perhaps another day when I am feeling creative, I will give it another try. Perhaps not. It might be happy with the others in the reject pile.

So if you would like to make me feel better, you can share your stories of frustration. I'll be here!

Next Tuesday really should be spring.

the trouble with spring

2011-03-22T17:30:00.000-05:00

jill here... I'm running behind. Supermoon, the equinox and even daylight savings time do not add any more energy to my day. And now that its spring, there is the "outside and inside". I love spring but sometimes its just too much. Then the IRS had to wreck a really good season and add TAXES! Here comes the rain. Better let the dogs in.

I'm longing to be creative, mostly because there are other urgencies. I've been wanting to make a gift so I will give a "tried and true" little quilt a new version. Remember the fabric bookmarks that were cut and recut? The following exercise is similar with a new combination of elements.

I started with 6 Asian and batik fabrics in a variety of color, scale, value.

I cut large squares of each and stacked them one on top of the other.
Large sweeping curves were cut through all the layers.

One more counter curve was established.

The pieces were rearranged.
I made a plan as to the piecing order .
Using a scant 1/8" seam allowance and a tight stitch,
the deepest curves were sewn first, pressed to one side.

When sewing large curves together, repress intersections
(if necessary) so the seam allowances are opposing.
Pin the intersection and sew from the center to the outside.

Because of the sewn curve may be uneven, it will need to be trimmed.

These are four of the sewn blocks. They look a little rough.

It seems rather disjointed - guess I'll have to pull it together.

I made a strip set alternating dark green and red. I was going to create a "check"
but I lost my mind and made the strips uneven so....

The strip was cut into squares, alternating vertical with horizontal,
sewn together then cut at an angle.

Using a technique from Sandi Cummings' Thinking Outside the Block,
a stip will be added.
This is a slice through the block in preparation for the strip.

One wacky strip was enough. The second strip addition
was a combination of the cream with the dark green. I thought
it needed more light value.
The strips were pressed toward the strip to raise it up.

Another block with strip set cut 1', sewn end to end and then
the teal added as the second.

Block trimmed to 6.5"x10.5".

Second block trimmed.

So stay tuned (next Tuesday) to see how to finish the blocks into little quilts. In the mean time, I'll try sorting out important from urgent. Unfortunately, sometimes they're BOTH. Have a good week and enjoy the coming of Spring.

Two rulers Rule...

2011-03-15T07:10:00.001-05:00

Nature's gift for the Ides of March

Spring is such a hopeful time...full of so much potential. Enjoy it.

Marny here...one more technique to share. This one might be helpful to some of you who experience difficulty with cutting for one reason or another.

I became dependent of this two ruler method of cutting when the store needed kits for a monthly program. The 200 kits cut every month had 3-5 fabrics in each. That is a lot of cuts. The cutting counter set aside for this project could only be used from right to left and was unapproachable from the other side. Shifting the fabric around that many times was out of the question.

Now I am totally dependent on the two ruler method. A single ruler sometimes baffles me, after all I have used the two ruler method thousands and thousands of times. I am not picky (stop your snickering) about which rulers to use. Two 24" long rulers are the easiest. Today I am using my trusty 8" wide Master Piece 45 and an 8 1/2" wide Creative Grid ruler.

Here are the steps to cutting with two rulers. Some, of course, are just the same as cutting with one ruler.

First, you need to establish a clean edge.

Carefully line the ruler up along the fold or the bottom edge of your fabric. Cut perpendicular to this along the right side of the ruler. Now you have a nice, clean and straight edge to work from.

I place my first ruler on the fabric. My four inch mark follows exactly along the fresh cut. I want a four inch strip. When I am happy with the accuracy, I carefully place the second ruler snugly against the left side of the first ruler.

I pull away the first ruler. And proceed to cut along the left side of the second ruler.

And there you have it, a four inch strip. No walking around or rearranging the fabric is necessary. You can get quite a rhythm going. Occasionally the right edge needs to be cleaned up again as you work your way along the length of your fabric.

Hope this technique helps some of you. I find it very efficient and accurate. We encourage you to use whatever method works best for you. But you might like to try the two rulers, or have it in the back of your mind when some cutting challenge presents itself. It works.

Visit this website for Heart and Hand Dry Goods to see our trunk show displayed and to check out their upcoming events--including their celebration of National Quilting Day March 17th-20th.

Till Tuesday....

Timeout for Tips

2011-03-08T08:11:00.001-06:00

Marny here...First, here is a photo of the Cute as a Bug in a Quilt version of Leftovers, a Modern Quilt Relish Pattern.

April quilted it with a fun design and I got it machine bound and handed off to Jill. It is part of the Trunk Show that Jill delivered to the Heart and Hand Dry Goods and Company in Sioux City, IA this past Saturday. If you are nearby we'd love it if you could visit our quilts. Let us know what you think.

Recently, I've happily completed two more quilt tops for one of our upcoming patterns. Sorry, no peeking.

But while I was working on them the idea of sharing some random tips on quilt construction with you came to mind. (Preparing quilts to be on pattern covers and seen by the public is a bit nerve wracking and demands a professional look so we do what we can to ensure accuracy.) You might already be aware of these techniques/tips but here goes anyway.

1. Using an edgefoot for accurate 1/4" seaming. The edgefoot is worth its weight in gold. Oh wait, mine is gold. Thank you again, Jeanne.

The edgefoot is often an accessory foot you need to purchase. Once mine was put into use there was no going back. The edgefoot has a little "gate" or "wall" on it that your seam allowance rides along. My needle is in the 4.5 position to the right of center to get a 1/4" seam. Test your machine for your best needle placement.

2. When pinning your seams I have a couple of hints that help me all the time. First, Clovers fine Patchwork Pins are wonderful for pinning accurately. They are very thin and super sharp and cause the very least distortion possible. Here is how I pin intersecting seams when both seams are pressed open.

Put the pin 1/4" in from edge and through the seam line of both layers.

Then pin through all thicknesses on either side of the first pin. Remove the first pin.

The other thing I find helpful to remember when pinning two blocks, rows, or whatever together is to keep the edges perpendicular to the seam you are pinning square as well. (That was a mouthful.) This keeps the fabrics from distorting or twisting and allows for a nice, flat result.

The edge perpendicular to the seam is square.

The edge perpendicular to the seam is not square and will lead to trouble.

3. Pressing each and every seam is very important. First, set the stitches by pressing along your line of stitches briefly.

Steam is a must for me. Second, press the seam open from the back side.

Third, press from the front side.

Quilters use the word "press" for a reason. The back and forth of "ironing" can distort. Press down gently and accurately.

So thanks for taking a look today. Maybe you will find something helpful, and maybe you'd like to offer your own tip or technique. Comments are always such fun for us!

Till Tuesday....

Plumped up - Scaled down

2011-03-01T07:17:00.000-06:00

jill here....A short while ago we made a plan for creating more samples. One of our patterns that has been more difficult to show is our Duvet Buffet. It looks better with the comforter inside but is too bulky to hang and there isn't room for a bed in the quilt shop. I've always liked those displays where there were miniatures of the actual product - just cute. So..... I created 3 scaled down versions of the duvet. The insides are finished just as the pattern describes. They really look like a big TV pillow! (And could be.)

The pattern utilizes fabric amounts efficiently. All the seams are finished and stitched down to make them laundry friendly (one of the perks for us pet owners who can't say "no"). And, its gender friendly, depending on fabric selection. I've made it several times in "collections" of fabrics and batiks.

Reverse side with velcro closure

The reverse side can be a whole new scheme. These fabrics blended with the front but in a more traditional style.

So here's to Buffets, big or small. Starting Saturday, our trunk show is making its first out of town appearance in Sioux City, Iowa at Heart and Hand Quilt Shop. In April, I'll be talking to the Siouxland Samplers Quilt Guild. I look forward to meeting you.

Amazonian Insects, not bed bugs!

Until next Tuesday...

Forget the rug and let's just say "cute as a bug in a quilt!"

2011-02-22T06:36:00.000-06:00

Marny here...I was lucky enough to teach Modern Quilt Relish's Leftovers pattern this past Friday at the Quilting Connection in Ames, Iowa. The students and I were very productive. One quilt almost got completed and two more were well underway by the time class ended. Wish you all could have joined us. It is such fun to share our patterns with others.

It is easier to be an effective teacher when you have examples of most of the steps sewn up to demonstrate with. You can see when you scroll down the left sidebar of this blog that the two samples on the cover of the Leftovers pattern use a textured, relatively plain background fabric while the plaid/stripes are made up of a variety of prints. My teaching sample took a different design direction.

I started with a really fun nondirectional print of bugs for the background. I'd seen the bolt the day it arrived at the store and felt inspired to use it in Leftovers. Some fabrics just cry out to be used!

This was followed up with seven solids from my stash at home.

A little cutting, sewing, cutting and sewing and the quilt was well underway.

And here is the top all sewn together. I'm eager to see it quilted and bound. And I can't wait to share the completed quilt with you all and everyone who will see our trunk shows and meet us as Spring Quilt Market.

Till Tuesday.

Modern Quilts Call for Modern Measures.....

2011-02-15T06:45:00.001-06:00

Literally cutting through red tape.

Marny here... I should be sewing, pattern writing, and otherwise thinking important thoughts. Unfortunately Verizon invited me to order an iPhone and the meanies sent it early. I wasn't supposed to receive it until after the 18th. Plans for major productivity were in place. Oops.

Don't you love the code with the target in the center? Quilt design maybe?

Instead I have spent hours on lynda.com learning everything I could ahead of time about the iPhone. I have high hopes for it helping me attend to Modern Quilt Relish business details. So much business is conducted on line these days that a smart phone seems essential. The iPhone is the smartest phone of them all (we are an Apple family afterall) so I waited until Verizon finally announced they would be carrying iPhones. AT&T does not have the best coverage in some portions of the country that I often find myself in. If you haven't seen it yet here is a fun John Stewart video of how a lot of AT&T iPhone users feel. Verizon has yet to prove itself. I have my fingers crossed.

The set up was a cinch.

So hopefully I can learn to post on the run, take photos and videos and place those on the blog and flickr sites, send invoices, run credit cards for customers at quilt shows, and in a pinch even use it as a telephone. Dozens of other uses will appear with time. So I will keep prodding and learning.

Prodding and learning is not confined to technology. Designing our contemporary and modern quilts takes some prodding and learning as well. The idea for a quilt is just the very beginning of the process. Design direction, scale, fabrics, pattern feasibility and much more needs to be hammered out. The process is sometimes easy and occasionally painful, but always a rewarding learning experience.

...and every time I look at my phone I can enjoy the crashing surf ...

returning Tuesday.

It's all in the modern bag!

2011-02-08T08:33:00.001-06:00

jill ..... Well, I could write a purse pattern but this weekend was not the time! As I've said before, there is something rewarding about sewing an already tested pattern. I chose The Bella Bag by Heather Mulder Peterson from Anka's Treasures. I have previously sewn one of her patterns and found it concise, easy to follow and successful. I chose this purse pattern because it has options - great style (the most important) and three sizes as well as different handles. I was not certain how my already constructed relish (from last week's blog) would fit.

I chose the medium sized purse pattern due to the dimensions closely matching my relish design, not too big but just right.

I added fabric on all sides to bring it "up to size". I knew that the textured background would serve me well with lots of disguised seam lines.

Finding the center was helpful in aligning the design. I then cut the front out from the relish and the back out of just the plain fabric.

The front was fused to fleece and quilted in the ditch around the shapes.

Following the directions (I actually read them), I cut my lining from the small geometric print and the pockets from the large scale floral.

Pockets sewn to lining and pleats to form the bottom.

Inside view

The purse came together just as the pattern described. The hardest part was cutting the holes for the grommets. Once you make the cut, there is no return. Alas, all's well that ends well. The added fabric glue helped stabilize the grommets and they fit together nicely. And I didn't even have to spend time unsewing.

I selected the convertible handle , threaded it through the grommets and tied her up! She's just the right size. It's fun to see a project come together quickly, at least once in awhile!

Marcia W. is the winner of the free pattern. Marcia let us know which pattern you would like. We'll post another question just a little later.....'till next Tuesday for sure but maybe even sooner, jill

Line and Color Take Shape

2011-02-01T07:01:00.002-06:00

jill....Color classes that I have taught bring a new challenge for many quilters. Not only do fabricators have to deal with a lot of new terminology but they are asked to analyze quilts from different perspectives. And you know, most quilts are made from love and sharing so it is hard to be critical...So if it's hard to deal with negative aspects, I say start with what you like. When most of us fall in love with a quilt it is largely determined by the colors. Aside from the emotional aspect, the actual success of the design has to do with the values, the light and darks of the fabrics.

I recently purchased a newly released book Quilting Line and Color by Yoshiko Jinzenji. This book is amazing in its design and attention to detail. I truly appreciate the author's use of white in large amounts and black in small details. She uses color with such discretion that it is the interest (but does not over power the design). One patchwork pattern she explores is cutting squares from printed fabric, selectively cutting for lines, shapes, and color. I attempted a similar exploration, changing a few elements, making it my own.

I started with a fat quarter from "Montage" by Michele D'Amore for Benartex. It had many prints within the same piece of fabric.

I added some fabrics from "Soiree" collection for RJR.

Rather then reinvent the wheel, I decided to use a mosaic design, similar to Pickle Relish.

I cut some squares and rectangles and played with their arrangements. I attempted to cut from unusual angles, the unpredictable and unrecognizable.

I tested the arrangement on a mostly white background.

I ended up choosing a mostly black background.

With a few adjustments.... not perfect but good enough! Check back to see how it takes shape.

The winner of the pattern is Lynn. Let us know which pattern and where we can send it. We truly appreciate your comments.

Our question for this next week is : Why do you take classes? We'll again choose a winner from the commenters. Stay warm and if you get snowed in, hope you have a happy project! till next Tuesday...