Check this Out!

I didn't make this quilt, but I quilted it, but I don't think it qualifies me as a cover girl. yet. But it's as close as I'm likely to get this month. My friend Michelle over at DesignCampPDX  designed this row along for Gen Q.  And she asked me to quilt it. Find directions and links on her site.
 
I free hand quilt on a frame and do not use digital tools. I mark very little and rarely use rulers.
 I usually make a very simple written plan and then just "go for it".   In this case,  each color was assigned a "theme" or "stitch concept" and then I just kinda winged it.



























I love Feathers. Love them! They aren't right for every quilt, I wish they were, but I felt with the Carnival theme I was "working" they were just right.
 
 





















I love quilting! I'm super grateful to my quilty friends. 
If your interested in getting my posts delivered to your mail box, there is a subscription button up at the top, and if you want to peek at my "goings on" follow me on Instagram.
Quilters Rock!

Where I've been, What I've been doing

 
 I've been away from the blog for a long time. 

I quilted some quilts
For the guild, some charity quilts
 
 
 
For my friend Michelle, her quilt for Gen Q
For myself,  this one for Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show













































and this one for me
  
here is a detail of the quilting.  This quilt is 4 years in the making, spawned 3 or 4 quilts in its wake and im thrilled its finished and it may get its own post. because I love it so. 
 

I taught some classes
 

I sewed some pretty together in an effort to get some more "pretty" in proper focus.
 
 So. Now your all caught up (mostly) I need to write some "Finish" posts,  update the the pages and add a section on doing longarming but I'm really working like crazy getting caught up and now just isnt the time for posting. Its Summer. 

 Quilters Rock!

If you really want to see what's happening in my studio follow me on instagram

Modern Butterfly A Goal Realized

 

I'm published in  Generation Q! Squee!  

Long ago I made samples for Connecting Threads. I was thrilled.  I was being paid to make. How awesome is that I ask you?  I was a professional with the W-2 to prove it. woot!

 It was a great experience and I will always be grateful for all I learned. really and truly. 

but.... 

they picked the fabric, the design and I just followed a pattern.  

Many magazines do the same thing, ask you to make something with a certain fabric or change elements. etc. 

After a while, my skills grew and my interest in  creating my own work became more of a priority.  

So I set a new GOAL: Make my own work and get it published.  

 This is quilt is kinda the start of a whole Mid Century Modern Series that I'm probably about mid way thru. I'm making with these Mid Century shapes that speak to a different cooler age. Its kind of like a quilty art history intensive for one. 

How its made:  Pieced.  This could made in about 2 hours if you just cut shapes out and fused them on whole cloth.  ( I could do a whole a monologue about how much I hate fusing, don"t get me started. I hate it. I've done it. still hate it.)  If that's your thing: go for it.

If you want to see what is happening in my studio and see sneak peeks of what I'm working on check out my Instagram feed.  OR Subscribe to my blog and my finishes will come straight to your mailbox.

If you live Local in Portland, Oregon  I'll be doing a trunk show and talking about my process at the next Modern Club Meeting at The Pine Needle in Lake Oswego on March 26th.  Social time starts at 5:30 and the meeting 6:00 - 8:00.  

Tonight I went to Hand Sew Happy Hour, 2 hours to sit and hang with friends I rarely see. I got to see Ale for her birthday and meet her sweet daughter (the inspiration for her online name GoldWillow) and sit with Michelle and catch up. An afternoon well spent.  

Today is Pi day.  Hope you get to have a slice. 

Quilters Rock, 

Rachel

I'm a Hexin' Beast!!

Well, here it is my first finish for 2014. Its been about 4 years in the making. It's been waiting for me to grow my skills and decide how I wanted to communicate.

 

  About 4 years ago I started Hexing.The woman who taught me, her work looked terrible so I needed to figure it out. I didn't want the stitches to show in the front and I wanted to be able to take the papers out, but leave the basting in for more shape while in the "being made" stage.  I got a hole punch and punched all my papers, then I basted on the back side only. In the "Joining" stage I ladder stitched with the WRONG sides together. When I open them up, the stitches are covered and I've sewn the back edges together not the front edges.

I opted to make "Lumps". When I think about my Grandmother, I don't think of a silver haired Granny, baking cookies and wearing an apron. In the 30's, she was a pants wearing, art school attending, super athletic dynamo.  She was so cool! She traveled everywhere, she was in Cuba in 1969. She had a bright red floating fireplace in her living room. She made jewelery. She worked at a job, with her own office.  I used to look thru her phone book when I was young, looking to see who was in there.  I'm not sure why, but one day I discovered the home number of Bob Hope. 
So when I look at Grandmother Flower Garden quilts, with their sweet wholesome girlish charm, I don't see my Maxine. I mean, how cool a name is that? After I made a bunch of lumps, I kinda knew I wanted to make a quilt that spoke to those GMFG quilts. Something about my own Grandmother.
 It's always been sitting back in my mind. "Maxine's Quilt" Maxine's Quilt" 
This last summer I figured it out. I made a hex top. A low volume, whole and pieced , hex by machine top.

 Then I just machine appliqued the lumps on the top before quilting the background.

Above you can see I used a kind of flower pattern that also looks very topographical. You can also see that I've sewn around the edge of the lump but not in the middle around each hex. Are you thinking this is a problem? I am and I don't have a solve for it at this point in the process.  So....

After it comes off the quilter, I really have to come to grips with the the fact that this won't wash well.
I don't like the puff of the hexes, its uneven and where the lumps are 3 rows thick, I don't think it will wear well.
Having a Bernina is kinda awesome. I have a 440QE and I love it.  I have a Binder that I bind all my quilts with and a ruffler for making clothes. Nothing - but NOTHING- buttonholes like a Bernina. There is a sweet foot that will hold a button and then a stitch that sews a button to the garment.  Below you can see the "in progress" shot.

 

I put 1, 2, or 3 button stitches in each hex. I really like how it turned out. I feel like it will wash well, I like the "cracker" quality to the hexes that the tacking provides and the tactile quality to the different quilting treatments meets my goal.  The back is a solid pale yellow flannel I had in my stash. the very last piece.  It may have taken 4 years but I'm in no hurry.  It's a WIP off my list and a finish worthy of being this years first.

Quilters Rock!

Twizzle your Buds on the Insta Face

Well, I've been living life and before I know it, time gets away from me. I can't believe how long it's been since I posted, but here I am.
I've been curating the Monthly Quilt Show at Modern Domestic as well as teaching. I still check in on My Elder daily and keep my hubs clean and fed. the rest of the time I'm free to sew. 
 When I looked at the blog, I thought it needed a bit of housekeeping so ....
I  created a Blog Page for Some of my Quilts, the most recent ones from the last couple of years.
 

I  added an InstaGram Button, if you want to see my charming dog, fabrics,  studio shots, and work in progress that's the place to find me these days.  Please follow me there.
  

 I also added a Subscribe by Email button. I post mostly major finishes, so if you want to stay informed please think about subscribing.  I've signed at least one release lately, so there will be exciting ( to me at least) news coming.
























A set on fickr HERE of my quilts up to 2012 will let you see my past work all in one handy location.
I'm having a grand time sewing with friends and creating work I'm proud of.  How's your new year going?
as always- Quilters Rock!