Free Modern Quilt Pattern and Modern Quilt Along Coming Soon!

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...

Timeout for Tips

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....

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

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.

Winner of a Modern Quilt Relish Pattern, and another Giveaway

Marny here....a couple of posts ago the scraps from making Leftovers were challenging me.  The project is developing.  Design choices are being dictated by available scraps and limited time for hemming and hawing.

Sack of evenly cut strips too good to toss.

So far a rhythm is developing, background strip, two of the above scraps sewn together and seamed randomly to the background, a unit made from the original scraps, and again two of the narrow scraps sewn together and added on.  Repeat.

The strong verticals have taken over the original random scraps, but we will see where it ends up.   I will keep picking it up and adding to it over the next week.  It is my current productive procrastination method--you know, doing "something" but not the "thing" you should be doing.

Busy times for Modern Quilt Relish right now.  New patterns are being designed, trunk shows are being developed, and lots of preparations are underway for Spring Market in Salt Lake City.

The winner from last week's post is Janice.  Congratulations!  (Please email us at modernquiltrelish@gmail.com with your choice.)  The question we posed was what is your least favorite color to quilt with?  Interesting that two mentioned orange and one bright blue with bright yellow.  Where do our color biases come from?  Sometimes I end up using my least favorite color (orange) or my least favorite fabrics and they are the perfect addition to the quilt/composition. Funny, life is like that too!

So here is this week's giveaway question.  You need to comment with a response to the question to enter.  We will send you the pattern of your choice if you win.  

What size quilt do you most often make?  Queen, throw, baby, wall hanging, table runner, etc.  Just let us know.  

Till Tuesday.

Conversations with Modern Quilts & Leftovers Reheating

Marny here...we keep Cherrywood Fabrics on our radar. Recently Karla Overland blogged about a quilt show she is part of.  The name of the show sent my wheels spinning: Conversations with Cloth.  The title really resonated with me and I have been turning it over in my mind since reading it.

I have conversations with my cloth and my projects as I work.  Sometimes the conversations are kind of cranky, especially when a new design is posing too many challenges.  But mostly the fabric calms me as I cut, seam and press.  Holding fabric is comforting.  So is that a conversation?  If a conversation is a give and take I'd say giving cloth a new life and taking comfort in that qualifies.  Years in the quilt store have taught me that LOTS of people need to come in and pet the fabric to bring them happy moments in an otherwise stressful or unpleasant day.  It is a conversation of comfort that we are all part of.

Using the term conversation more precisely gets trickier. There is a dialogue between the artist/quilter and their creation and there is a dialogue the observer can become a part of.  The projects in the show clearly would inspire the spectator to respond....and isn't that what a conversation is?

And speaking of conversations, more comments please.

Here is an easy one for anyone to respond to.  Why do you sew?  

You can comment below or email us.  Our email is as follows.      modernquiltrelish@gmail.com

Now for Leftovers Reheating.....In cleaning my sewing room not too long ago, the remaining scraps from our original Leftovers pattern resurfaced.

They are intriguing little bits and pieces.  I decided to trim them down, sew them in pairs and see what I come up with.

There is no way to tell until the sewing is done how close it will it be to what I imagine.  I will keep playing with them and will share the result in a later post.

The winner from last week's blog post is eschhousequilts 

Which pattern you would like? Thanks to everyone for participating and please keep the comments coming.  We love the conversation.


....and remember to comment on why you sew?
till Tuesday.

  

Modern Quilt Stories Around a Modern Culinary Experience

Bridging from traditional to modern.......

Marny here....I will start with the story of a modern quilt.

Certainly an attentive audience here!

One year ago, during a visit to my son and daughter-in-law's home for Thanksgiving, we made a trip to purl soho.  I'd made the announcement that I was done making quilts from fabrics I didn't like or patterns without a modern aesthetic.  My sewing time and energy were limited so I wanted to only make quilts of interest to me.  I was excited to come up with a pattern for a modern couple!

12 Fat Quarters were carefully chosen for this event.  I'd assumed they would go for some modern quilt fabric designer's collection or bits and pieces of cool imported fabrics.  Surprise.  They chose Civil War reproduction fabrics and one little green solid.  I threw in some very toned Lecien dots for variety.

Their choices were certainly unexpected.  The design challenge gauntlet was thrown in my direction.  Was I up for it?  Months later, after considering a variety of directions, plaid spoke to me.  The right background finally showed up in Robert Kaufman's Quilter's Linen in the color taupe.  Their fat quarter choices would prompt the design of our pattern Leftovers.

The quilt arrived at their home three days before Thanksgiving--in time for me to see it in place during this year's visit.

And thankfully it was well received by the important occupants.

Full size photos of Leftovers in Queen, Throw and Crib can be found here.  The pattern can be ordered in the left side bar of this blog. :-)

Now for the modern culinary experience.

My son's passion for cooking and the resulting dishes he produces put mine to shame. 

The dark meat had been braised, the breast brined, the potatoes infused with truffle oil, the stuffing from wheat and white baguettes, and the corn casserole followed a friend's recipe found here. (It is the recipe pictured and shown further down the page. The Tamworth Supper Club is a joint venture my son has with Derek.)

The turkey was carved,

the photos were taken,

and the feast of thanks began.  It ended with an incredible three layer chocolate and cherry trifle. 

So the moral of the quilt story and the culinary experience is that from traditional ingredients a fresh modern quilt and a delicious modern meal can be created and enjoyed!

Hope you all had safe travels and grateful hearts throughout the holiday.

Till Tuesday.