...And more

My new little friend came back for more sewing fun and this time crafted a very large and colorful pillow.

She decided to tackle this project because she already had the 25" x 25" pillow form, but the cover had gotten stained. Apparently a ball point pen made its way onto the pillow cover and marred it. Now that she has joined the cult of sewers, she didn't see this as a problem, but an opportunity to craft something even better than a store-bought cover. And, based on the picture above, it's easy to see that she did just that.

She certainly seems very happy with her creation.

Sewing with a kid...

...just not my own, but maybe that makes it even more fun.
Over the past few days I've had a sweet, little treat come to my house every afternoon to do a wee bit of sewing. And, despite the fact that she's just barely out of second grade, look what she manged to make:

Hey, it's reversible too.

Also, if you think the first side featured is my cheater cloth from my a stitch in color line, you're mistaken. This little gal pieced together a slew of 2 1/2" squares to make the patchwork for the front and back of her tote. She selected the fabrics as well. Fearlessly. A girl after my own heart.

Break free. Go bold.

That's just a taste of the encouragement you'll encounter if you read through Jacquie Gering's and Katie Pedersen's new book, Quilting Modern: Techniques and Projects for Improvisational Quilts.

If you've ever thought, for even a moment, that you'd like to explore improvisational piecing techniques, then this is a must-have book for you. And, if you haven't thought about exploring improvisation, then this book is still for you. Why? Because it is so crammed full of eye-candy that you"ll wonder why you haven't yet played with this process.
I mean, check out just a few of the projects that Jacquie and Katie created:

Also, if you're looking to try these techniques on smaller scale project, then they've still got you covered because there are 3 home dec projects to fit that bill.

Lest you think that this book is just about projects without giving you the tools to really "discover" improvisation, fear not. There is a super extensive techniques section, advice on strip piecing, curved piecing, crazy piecing, and more, all with an improvisational approach. This book really tackles all the trepidation many folks have about improvisation and walks you gently through this process.
It's unique and, for the modern quilter especially, incredibly timely and useful.

Twinkle Coverlet

Designed, crafted, and published several months ago, but it hasn't appeared in this space, so, ladies, and the occasional gentlemen, may I present my humble, little Twinkle Coverlet:

I flipped my bed quilt to the backing and laid the coverlet on top. So pretty.
If you think you'd like to make this project, check out the Spring/Summer edition of Stitch. It's been on the newsstands for a bit and is also available through Interweave Press.

Wordless, Work-in-Progress Wednesday

Ain't alliteration awesome?

No Prints. No Kidding.

For those of you who haven't heard there's a new quilting book coming out that those of you enamored of modern quilts are going to want to check out. Now, I'm partly saying that because I'm in this new book, but that's not entirely my motivation. First off, there are 15 other terrific, creative designers featured in this book and secondly the book's focus is quilts made exclusively of solid fabrics. And not just any solids, but Kona Cotton solids by Robert Kaufman.

The idea behind this book is actually very simple, but has yielded some powerfully graphic and inspiring quilts. All the designers were asked to submit a proposal for a quilt crafted entirely out of solids. Once approved, we were provided with Kona cottons in the colors we requested and we set about bringing our designs to life.
By limiting the fabric choices to solids within the Kona palette, the editor, Susanne Woods, really set a contemporary tone for this book. Without prints most, if not all, of these quilts seem to rely on core design principles like color and shape.
Mine certainly was steered in that direction by the parameters of the book. While it wouldn't be fair to show the actual quilt so long as the book has yet to be officially released, I feel OK about showing y'all the mock-up I made for my design, The Sweet as Pi Baby Quilt.

Yep, it's round and, don't be fooled, so easy to make.
I've added the badge for the book to right-hand side bar of my blog. It's linked to the C&T site if you'd like to pre-order the book there. If, however, you'd like to purchase or peruse We Love Color via amazon, click here.

The Power of the Flower

Proof positive that eventually everything gets finished.

I don't even know how many months ago I posted a picture of this quilt top, but it wasn't yesterday I'm pretty sure. It's not that the quilting was difficult or even the binding. And, for those of you who don't believe me, I'm telling you, the bias binding on this shaped piece was not particularly complicated. It's just that the top got put on the back burner and was a wee bit forgotten. But, I have plans for this quilt and several more and variations of this quilt and several more, so finish it I must.
For those who are interested in the details, the quilt measures about 47" in the diagonal and was machine pieced and quilted.
This design first appeared as these in last year's Quilting Arts Gifts issue.