Print Shop Tote II

I'll admit it ... I bought my plane and hotel tickets to QuiltCon 2018 way back in May of this year, before I even knew I was going to be able to get into any QuiltCon classes I want. (But I did!). I was so upset that I missed out on the QuiltCon East show in Savannah that I knew I was going to plan way, way ahead for the Pasadena show. So ... Pasadena, here I come!

I decided to make my own patchwork tote bag for the show. After all, I know I'm going to be shopping. A lot. I need something to carry around my merchandise, don't I? Oh, and of course, I just really wanted to make the tote. The pattern I'm using is from Colorful Patchwork Bags & Basket taught by Caroline Fairbanks-Critchfield.

I see this tote as the larger cousin of my Print Shop Tote, as I used the same Print Shop fabric line by Alexis Abegg for Cotton + Steel. There's something about the fabric that is just so adorable ... maybe it's the kitty faces!

This bag is pretty big, and it will hold a lot ... assuming my straps don't fall off. I find that to be the weak point of the bag. There's outer pockets, inner pockets, and for the first time ever, I installed a magnetic clasp. (I had no idea it was so easy to install a magnetic clasp!) Overall ... it wasn't hard to assemble.

Well, I'm very happy with this bag! It is adorable, and although I could have quilted it, I chose not to. (Or, rather, by the time I decided I should quilt it, I've already sewn all the darts and I wasn't about to pick it out.) Come February, I'll find out whether it is actually well made!

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Link parties joined: Busy Hands Quilts, Confessions of a Fabric Addict, My Quilt Infatuation, Sew Can She, and Cooking Up Quilts.

Why I Almost Gave Up On Free-Motion Quilting

It's confession time. A year ago, I almost gave up on free-motion quilting. I had started learning it, and I was fortunate to not run into any common issues that other people ran into. I didn't have trouble with tension, didn't get eyelashes or railroad tracks, my stitch length looked decently consistent from the very beginning. So why did I feel so disheartened about it?

This is why:

Stippling (or meandering): a design that I absolutely, positively detest. And the reason is because it (still) is commonly taught and marketed as "the" beginner design. Anybody can do it! It's easy! Just wriggle and don't cross!

Well ... I wriggled and didn't cross. I followed the rules of stippling, so why does it still look so awful? I tried to compare my sample to the samples of pretty stippling, and I began to realize that there are more rules to stippling than the obvious, and that's what takes stippling from ugly to beautiful.

Rules of nice-looking stippling:

1) Wriggle and don't cross.
2) No wobbles or sharp points.
3) Keep even spacing.
4) Don't get into a pattern. Make it look completely random.

And this is why stippling is an awful design to teach to beginners. It's not just wriggle and don't cross. That part's easy. But all the other factors, the randomness of it that actually requires thinking ahead a bit, the even spacing, the steady hands, those are all difficult skills that takes a lot of time and practice to achieve. It's easy to wriggle and don't cross. It's hard to make beautiful stippling. I can't imagine how many people tried to stipple, thought their work looked ugly, and gave up on free-motion quilting forever because of the idea that "Stippling is the beginner design. If I can't even stipple then there's no hope for me." I almost became one of those people.

But just when I was about to give up, I read a book by Angela Walters where she said we should just practice the designs we actually like and want to put on a quilt ... and that she didn't like the look of stippling either! That's when it hit me ... I actually don't like the look of stippling at all! So I stopped trying to make myself practice it, and I went onto other designs.

A year and millions of free-motion stitches later, I still can't stipple. But I don't really care!

I've come across 2 articles by amazing quilters Lori Kennedy and Amy Johnson who both state how they dislike stippling (and how hard it is). Whew, so I'm not the only one!

Stitches Midwest 2017

It's Stitches Midwest time! I have to admit that I've not picked up my needles much in the past few ... months. Between my longarm machine and all the quilt tops I've been making, I've been so busy and involved with quilting that I frequently forget to knit. (But I still remember how!) However, my sister-in-law still knits, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to get together and enjoy a girls' day out.

Not to mention the fact that I still do love yarn. A skein of beautiful hand-dyed yarn in muted and moody tones still takes my breath away. So even if I wasn't looking to do a lot of yarn shopping, seeing all that yarny goodness will still elevate my spirits.

But ... I did do some shopping. I found some woven bowls that I had been looking for for more than three years. And of course ... I found my people!

I was really happy to see a quilting store in the midst of all the yarn! I suppose it's not that surprising, because there is some overlap between quilters and knitters, and it seems that Knitting Universe (the company who runs Stitches events) is going toward taking advantage of that overlap and introducing a bit of a mix. I know it's a controversial decision with some knitters, but hey, if that's the direction they're going towards, it sure works for me!

So, here's my haul for the day. It's not much, and it's mostly stuff for quilting, but it was a great day and did I mention how much I love going to conventions?

Gone Bowling

The idea for this project came about one day when I thought about making a circle quilt with scraps. I wanted the circles on a lot of negative space, but didn't want to go with a traditional grid pattern. Then suddenly, the image of a top-down view of a bowling lane came to mind, and that became the inspiration for this quilt. I got out my sketchbook and did some rough planning.

There are two things I wanted to really play with in this quilt: striped circles for the bowling balls and free-motion quilting the "lane" space. For the circles, I used some leftover charm squares, and it's a combination of Northcott Urban Elementz and Moda Thicket.

For quilting the negative space, I sort of simulated the look of a bowling lane by quilting lane spaces, and in the spaces I filled each one with a different level 2 filler. I call them level 2 fillers because they're a lot more time-consuming and involved than my normal go-to fillers. But since the quilt is not big and it's a wallhanging, I quilted it to death and then added some more quilting.

In the "bowling pin" section, I quilted a different design into each circle. Some are more successful than others! I filled the areas around it with dense pebbles. That took a long time but is fairly mindless and relaxing to do.

In the lane space, I let it fly! This would have taken forever to do if it wasn't so small (42" x 26"). My favorite section in here is definitely the pebbled leaves.

This little quilt was great fun to do, and it functions as a quilting sampler. Eventually, it'll be hung in my quilting studio ... when I get around to finishing the space, that is!

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Link parties joined: Confessions of a Fabric Addict, Busy Hands Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts, Sew Can She, and Cooking Up Quilts.

This Way Up

This Way Up is the first foundation paper pieced quilt I've finished this year, and I'm really happy with it. The original pattern is called Woodcut, but I named my quilt This Way Up because all I can see are arrows pointing up!

I almost considered leaving the colored spaces unquilted to make them pop, but that's really not my style. So instead, I opted for some simple geometric lines with echoes. In all the little nooks and crannies around the colored spaces, I didn't have a lot of room, so I did what works best for small tight areas ... pebbles! It really mashed the area down, and helped to enhance the colored arrows with the contrast in quilting density.

My favorite part of every quilt to quilt is almost always the negative space. In this quilt, there really wasn't a lot of it. I did some stacking swirls that looked like they were growing out of the pebbles, and added some straight lines in the border area for some contrast.

I still occasionally overthink my quilting design, but in general it's been getting much easier for me to land a concept and go with it, because I realize it just has to look good, it doesn't have to be the most-amazing-design-ever. And finished is better than perfect, anyway!

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Linking up with: Busy Hands Quilts, Crazy Mom Quilts, Sew Can She, and Cooking Up Quilts.

Northern Lights

I first saw a sample of Northern Lights, a pattern by Julie Herman, in a quilt shop in Alaska. I immediately was intrigued by the pretty solid colors in a gradient, and I loved the quilting on the store sample. It was a lot of dense fillers in matching colors that complemented the quilt perfectly and added a delicious texture.

I didn't buy the kit then, because my suitcase was already full, and I wasn't sure I would be able to piece it. But I thought of it constantly. Earlier this year I finally bought it as a late Christmas gift to myself. As a bonus, I finally had the excuse to invest in a Hex 'n More ruler! I just love collecting rulers.

I decided to make my quilt exactly like the sample, in the same arrangement of colors. Although this quilt is doable without the Hex 'n More ruler, I do have to say it makes cutting the trapezoids a lot more quick and fun! I was worried I wouldn't be able to piece this, but it wasn't as difficult as I thought. I did have to use a pin or two during row assembly, but it came together very quickly and almost all of my points almost match. Close enough is good enough!

Quilting this top was an exhilarating experience. As I was quilting this, I became convinced that this quilt top was designed specifically to showcase free-motion quilting. The big expanses of space, all in solids ... there is no place to hide, and everything shows! On some sections, it's great news. On others, well ...

To start with, I filled some sections with paisleys, pebbles, and swirls. I don't think I'll ever get tired of them.

I decided to try a new filler that I've never tried before. Leaves! I know leaves are pretty much just a pointed paisley, but I find it quite a bit more challenging to execute compared to the paisley. However, it has such a great look so I was determined to learn them.

I wanted to add some straight lines just to break it up a bit. But one block in, I realized I was already bored. So to break it up even further, I added some wavy lines to contrast with it.

I'm so happy I conquered this! Quilting this quilt was amazingly fun (isn't it always, though?) and it's such a joy to watch the quilt come to life. All in all, I'm thrilled with the way this turned out.

I really like the back of the quilt too ... I didn't realize until awhile after the quilt was finished that the back shared some of the colors as the front and has a Northern Lights kind of feel! Now that's what I call a happy coincidence.

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Link parties I joined: Crazy Mom Quilts, Busy Hands Quilts, Sew Can She, and Cooking Up Quits.

The Liebster Award

Have you heard of the Liebster Award? I hadn't, until Rose of Something Rose Made nominated me. The Liebster award is a blogger to blogger nomination (not limited to quilting) to help blogs get more followers, and I'm honored to get the nomination. Thank you Rose!

I met Rose through the 2017 New Quilt Bloggers Blog Hop. It was a fun and exciting group where we shared tips and critiques about how to improve our quilting blogs, and of course, friendships were made in the process. Rose and I have followed each other since then, and she is one of the most encouraging people in my machine quilting journey! You can read her Liebster Award post here.

According to the rules, I'm to include a short commentary of a blog I follow. Well, I follow a lot of blogs, but one of my favorites is Suzy Quilts. I don't remember how I found Suzy Quilts, but once I did, I didn't want to leave. Her blog is a joy to the eye, so clean and aesthetically pleasing, and she's got a beautiful, modern taste that I aspire to. She posts many great and useful tutorials as well as product comparisons. (She even has city guides for quilters, something I used the last time I went to Chicago!) And the cherry on top? I frequently find myself laughing out loud at her writing. She's so hilarious! If you aren't following her already, well, go see what you're missing!

As part of the nomination, Rose has posed some questions for me to answer, so here they are:

Who inspired you to quilt/sew?

Actually ... nobody to start with! I started quilting because I ran out of knitting classes to take on Craftsy, so I decided to pursue a new hobby (so I can take more classes). Before I knew it, quilting caught my eye, and I haven't looked back.

If you could meet one Quilt Personality, who would it be?

Everybody who reads my blog knows how much I adore Angela Walters! She was and remains my #1 inspiration for machine quilting. But I'm signed up for 3 classes with her next year in QuiltCon, so barring any unforeseen circumstances, I'll meet her in February!

Your (audio/visual) preference while quilting:

I always prefer to have something going. I either blast alternative rock, or listen to audiobooks, or listen to TV reruns. It helps me through the not-so-fun parts (like preparing a backing) and when I'm on my longarm, having music going makes me more relaxed!

Do you have a favorite snack/munch while quilting?

I don't snack in my quilting area. Too risky. The most I will do is drink some water.

Do you look for quilts while watching a movie?

All. The. Time.

What comes first when you make a quilt:

I usually see something I really want to make, and then look for fabric in my stash (or go shop for some more fabric) to fit it.

What is your favorite quilt?

I have made quite a few quilts now and I love them all, so I really can't pick a favorite. My more recent finishes are certainly better executed than what I did a year ago, but that doesn't necessarily mean I love them more.

Hand Quilt or Machine Quilt?

Machine quilt, all the way. If I had to hand quilt, I wouldn't be quilting. I joked to my mother-in-law that I'm allergic to sewing by hand ... but it's true!

Favorite Color?

I have so many favorite colors! I love bright colors and metallics, and don't care much for pastels or earthy colors. My favorite color lately is probably a hot pink.

Favorite Quilting/Crafting Item?

My longarm, of course! I always feel a sense of great happiness when I walk into the quilting room and see her. I even love the way she smells.

Do you work on one project or many?

I usually have about 4-5 I'm working on simultaneously.

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Now, my nominees! Actually, make that nominee. I had in mind several people I wanted to nominate, but they've all been nominated already or had too many followers to qualify. But I managed to grab Sherry of Powered by Quilting up before others did! I met Sherry through the 2017 New Quilters Blog Hop, and we bonded over the fact that we both have an engineering background! (She's a current engineer, and I'm a retired engineer.) Sherry's got great tutorials and many beautiful quilts on her blog. Please go visit her!

For Sherry, I'm passing Rose's questions along. I think they're great questions!