Birthday Quilt - girl version

I'm making a couple more signature blocks for some 6 year olds and a 9 year old who will celebrate their birthdays in September.

By the time you are nine, you don't really want a birthday party anymore.  I find that rather sobering.  This whole growing up thing is happening at lightening speed.

The girl version is out of Liberty of London fabric and it needs to go in the mail so I always try to do that one first.  They don't take long really.  With a bit of traffic and a sweet DH behind the wheel I can finish the stitching of one on the ride to San Francisco.

One down, two to go.

My Old Flame

I dug out my modern house blocks and started to think about putting another border on them.

I was so in love with this project and these blocks before that it is practically a crime that they have not been made into a quilt top.

How about some advise on setting the blocks here...

I like the fabric on the right and think it is a good tone...it allows the quilt to come together.  I think something is still missing though.  

Maybe a very thin dark 'frame' of maybe 1/2" black or almost black fabric around all the blocks first?  They sort of need something to frame them up.  

Ideas?  Help!  I'm crowd sourcing this one!

Taupe Baby Quilt: More Photos

By popular demand....I'm adding a few more of my fav in progress photos of the baby quilt. 


Our little group of ladies had a huge blast working on it.


Enjoy!

piecing in progress

quilting in progress

 Blocking in progress

 

label close up

done and all ready for the new bundle of joy

Baby Quilt: Japanese Taupe Fabrics & English Paper Piecing

Oh how I have wanted to share some photos of the secret baby quilt project with you!

This quilt was started by our small quilt group much earlier this year for one of our members, So Sue, to celebrate the arrival of her new baby daughter.

I have photographed this quilt so many many times.  I want to go through some of the favorite photos and share perhaps more of them with you.

We finally gave the quilt to the bouncing baby, and I think she likes it.  Her mommy really does, so that's a good sign.

The majority of the quilt was hand pieced using the English Paper Piecing method, since we were using hexagons.  Small hearts fit well in the border, and those were done with hand applique.

More photos soon.

A Pot to Quilt In

Every good little hand applique nut needs silk thread in billions of colors in order to match her fabrics.  I have been doing applique for a long time, so you can imagine that I have a good sized collection.

I was finding thread spools all over the place:  in various pouches and bags, rolling around my desk, in a couple of decorative bowls.  It was getting hard to find the right color when I needed it.

Coincidentally, I recently picked up a vintage modern pot (for cooking!!) from my new favorite Etsy seller - MonkiVintage. 

I used it to make noodles a couple of times, but when my collection of applique thread was attempting to take over the house, measures had to be taken.

Is storing your thread in a cooking pot a little strange?  Is attaching a wool felt magnet you made to the side of it in order to act as a mini pincushion even more odd?

Well, I'm "otaku" after all, so I guess that explains it.  

I recently read this funny article on the living spaces of hard core otaku.  I'm not sure I'm this nerdy in fact, but I do really really love to quilt!

Modern Objects: Block 2 teaser and OMG Liberty of London

If you loved the first Modern Object block.... the next one isn't far off.

Again, a partner blog will be hosting the link to the free pattern.  

I'm using Oakshott fabrics since they have bold modern colors and lend themselves well to the clean lines of the modern objects.

Check out the photos you can find of how people use Oakshott:  Beautiful.

On the topic of Liberty of London fabric:

I was reading about the recent events at Quilt Market over at Monkey Do blog.

It seems that they will be introducing a quilting weight fabric that is more affordable (applause!!)  but still has that incredible look that they are famous for.

It's called Liberty of London Lifestyle Fabrics.  I am too excited for words.  Anybody who has bought Liberty of London fabrics for around $36 USD / yard...should be excited to know this new line will probably cost a little less than half as much.

Does that mean I can buy twice as much of it?

Quilt Otaku Modern Objects: Norwegian Bowl

You know I'm bad at keeping secrets so thankfully that part is over.  I have been cooking up a little series of free applique blocks for you.  Here's the big reveal.

Norwegian Bowl is Block #1, and you can head over to partner blog Pink Chalk Studios to download your free pattern (PDF). 

I asked Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio to host the pattern for me because I love the modern aesthetic of her blog and the fabric that she has in her shop. 

I have been a huge fan of her work ever since I made her Pencil Roll pattern.  If you don't follow her yet, you probably need to add her to your list.  If you are in search of solid fabrics, her site is one of the better sources out there.

About the blocks:

There will be a total of 12 patterns in the first series of modern objects. 

Finished blocks are 6 inches in size as designed.

Each of the Modern Objects will be inspired by a modern designer that has been influential in the evolution of the genre.

About Block 1:

For this block, the inspiration comes from Norwegian designer Grete Prytz Kittelsen.  She passed away in 2010, but in her life she created numerous stunning modern objects.  Enamelware similar to the block above (Lotus Leaf design) was produced by Catherinholm. 

Once you finish your block:

Please post a photo of your finished block to the Flickr group for this series.  I cannot wait to see what all you creative needle artists do with this pattern. 

Block shown above was created using Oakshott fabrics.

This block will almost make itself since pieces are simple, there are not many of them, and the block itself is quite small.

Do be kind and observe copyright guidelines.  Use the pattern for your own personal purposes, and do not sell the pattern or the quilted items that you create with the patterns.

You will need to know some basics of applique in order to make the block.  If you are interested in a tutorial, give me a shout.  It certainly isn't rocket science, and I'm here to help.

A little treat for you

I mentioned before that I have modern design on the brain.

After designing all the modern house blocks, I felt there should be something next in a similar style but with a twist.

There are some free applique patterns in the works for you.

Keep an eye out...the first one is coming soon!

The complexity of these blocks is dramatically reduced as compared to the modern house blocks, so that should make for super-fast sewing time.

And in celebration of Mother's Day, I would like to thank my own mom for being so sweet to me and our family.  Having a mom is a huge blessing, I probably don't have to tell you that.  

I started reading through historic blog posts that mention my mom and she is either giving me fabric or other quilting goodies when I talk about her, or helping me finish projects.  Thank you Mom! xo.

I also want to wish the other moms out there a very happy day.  Raising kids is something that most of us really do devote our souls to and is more of an art than a science.  Perhaps Mother's Day is the perfect excuse to get out and have an annual picnic.  Enjoy the day.

Modern Quilting

I am still here stitching away by hand with my needle and thread, and my Japanese Taupe Fabrics...creating modern house quilt blocks. 

This is the 10th block, and is inspired by what is called the Sax House in Oakland, California.  The home itself is designed to look just like a saxophone.  Can you see the instrument in the design?  I'm not done with the embroidery yet.  I think that will put the finishing touches on the block.

I never though that a popular blog like Quilt Inspiration would notice my work, but it turns out they did this week.

They just posted a little piece on my modern house quilt blocks which was very generous and kind of them.  You can see the article at this link.  The cool part is you can really see how the blocks were inspired from the photos I took of the real house.

I'm so honored!

Now, to come down from cloud 9 and get back to my stitching.

Japanese Taupe Fabrics: perfect for applique

When you enjoy hand applique, quality of the fabric itself becomes important.  The tricky areas, like points, curves, concave shapes...lend themselves to little bits of frayed edges.  If the fabric you are using is a high quality one with high thread count and tight weave, it minimizes these little threads that can lead to making your applique look sloppy.

Quite a few of the fabrics I used above are from D's Selection fabric brand.  I bought them ages ago in Carolea's Knitche Quilt Shop, which has not existed in many years unfortunately.  Anybody who has ever visited there would tell you it was an incredible place.

Anyhow, the block above is the next in my applique modern house quilt series.  It's been fantastic to design and create.  I'm so excited that it is done and ready for my next class.

In other wanderings:

Purse addiction:  Clare Vivier's fold over clutch.  Be mine.

Finnish Design shop:  Perhaps I should be kept away from here.

Weak for earrings:  Julie Burton at Verre -must resist temptation.

Japanese quilting fabrics: more is more

This block above is the 8th block in the series of California Bay Area modern homes that I'm working on.  

The house itself is located in Berkeley, CA and is known as the Fish House by locals but is actually the Tsui House.  It looks like it would be more at home under the sea than on a relatively normal street.  I used taupe fabrics that sort of looked like the ocean to me.

In other news, I was looking at Deborah Kemball's applique recently.  Have you seet it yet?  It's so detailed and beautiful.

Sometimes I really look forward to the weekend because I have something special going on.  This Sunday, my friend Sharon and I are taking a sweater making class by this famous designer named Ysolda Teague.

It's up at Verb of course, and although I don't really knit sweaters, it will be fun to meet her and to learn something that is really new to me.  And to relax for a bit of course.

Hope you have a chill weekend planned too.  Or unplanned for that matter.

Japanese Taupe Fabric: where to get it

Above is a photo of my son's 3 yr old signature quilt block with well wishes from family and friends.  The '3' is appliqued down and the fabric is Daiwabo yarn dyed.  It's got a thick weave but I didn't have a super hard time working with it.

It's not easy to get Japanese Taupe fabric if you are marooned here in the US (or other countries, for that matter) as opposed to those lucky ones that actually live in Japan.

The  quilt shop that I teach at has a small but growing collection of Japanese taupes which is great, but if you don't live in Oakland, California....there is a fresh option out there online.

One World Fabrics is the new kid on the block with some very interesting Japanese taupe fabrics - both prints and yarn dyed. 

You can see their entire collection here - lots to choose from.  The owner, Steven, also has an interesting blog with a focus on Japanese quilting.

Steven is kind enough to read my blog, and has created a coupon code for readers of Quilt Otaku.  If you are like me, and cannot resist picking up just a couple more pieces of taupe fabric (or a boat load of them!) you can use the coupon code "otaku15" to get 15% off your first order between now and Dec 31, 2011.

If that isn't a green light to start holiday shopping for yourself, I don't know what is.

I haven't ordered yet, but I am thinking I may need to pick up a few things...I'm a HUGE sucker for the yarn dyed fabrics - especially love this one - and they really are hard to get your hands on.  One World's prices for these sorts of fabrics are also below what I've usually seen, so that is nice too.

Thanks for your cool offer Steven, and best of luck launching your new taupe-a-licious shop!

Modern House Applique BOM

This Sunday, I'm teaching the Applique Block of the Month at A Verb for Keeping Warm.

Come on and join us if you live in Northern California, it is going to be so super fun.

The theme for our class is modern homes and the block this month is based on a home designed by Joseph Eichler, a well known modern architect.

A few of my quilt group friends live in his homes and they are beautiful and filled with light inside. Hopefully I'm doing this one justice by the quilt block.

A couple of notes for you on goodies I picked up at Stitches West last weekend (in case you ever knit):

Imagiknit: Very interesting yarn booth that was there at the yarn show. I could not help but get a little bit of their Madeline Tosh yarn (lace weight) and also some Malibrigo yarn (again in lace weight).

Sincere Sheep: My friend owns this shop and dyes some beautiful yarns and fibers with natural dyes. I got some goodies to try and make socks.

Feeling Ewe: (link is email address only) What a cute name! I could not resist their superfine Merino and cashmere blend. I got some to play around with that was a natural white color.

Becoming Art: The fiber that I got in this booth was wildly beautiful and is part cashmere again. I am a sucker for it right now.


Finally, and nothing to do with Stitches West...

Have you seen this fabric with Unicorn Meat chart on it? Odd, right? I am attracted to it somehow, don't ask me why.

Japanese Taupe Quilts, Baltimore Albums, and Applique ideas

I decided to make a little quilted example piece for my hand quilting class, the above is the progress so far. Not sure if I will finish it before class or in class, but it is looking very pretty far.

I recently had a bit of an 'early Christmas shopping for self' moment on Amazon (sigh, I am addicted to books) but I must share with you what I have learned:

1) Japanese taupe Quilts by Susan Briscoe:

This book is really amazing. If you like Chuck Nohara's work, or have been interested in her small block quilts, this book is very similar and will not disappoint you. It includes 125 block patterns (nice) and they are all really beautiful. My only regret with this book is that it doesn't include a paper fold out pattern in the back with full size templates for all the blocks. Still, a very nice addition to your library and a 'must have' for those of us who work in Japanese taupe fabrics.

ISBN: 978-1-56836-378-3


2) Beloved Baltimore Album Quilts by Elly Sienkiewicz:

From somebody who is trying to get a copy of everything Elly has ever published, you know I had to have this book. Her album blocks are just incredible, not that I have to remind you of that. I did not get to see the Baltimore album quilts when they were in Houston (did you?) but having this book is a treat, and it includes patterns for some of the blocks used in those quilts. If you love applique, you need this book. Block patterns are very small as compared to her usual blocks. If you wanted to have a larger quilt, you could probably enlarge them and complete them pretty quickly.

ISBN: 978-1-57120-848-4

3) The Ultimate Applique Guidebook by Annie Smith:

If you listen to Annie's podcast, you will know how enthusiastic she is about quilting, and how much she has to share with all of us. This book is really beautiful and instead of giving us block pattern after block pattern she encourages you to design your own blocks. There are tons of shapes in here that help you to go forth and make your own applique blocks. I LOVE this book (and not just because I'm such an Annie fan either). Here talented husband illustrated it for her, that is so sweet.

ISBN: 978-1-60705-005-6

Quilt Top Mania - More!

Yes, the answer to my last post was "C" - blocks are antiques, and I used other repro's to put sashing on them. Working with other people's quilt blocks is always a challenge especially when said blocks are no where near square.

I'm still pushing my way through my stacks of quilt blocks and making them into tops. The above quilt top was also just completed last week and includes my collection of Oakshott fabrics that I have been working with lately. They are beautiful and very easy to work with.

Now the work to baste and back the little tops in preparation for quilting will start. Have you ever worked with Ecology Cloth? I'm curious to know, why is it different/better than regular muslin? Any tips for me? My local quilt shop didn't carry it, so I suppose I'll be picking some up online.

Who out there has worked with it before? I need the inside scoop!

House Quilt - applique by hand

House quilts have a special place in my heart. I love the traditional red and white antique versions.

The one I decided to make is a more modern version. Remember those Oakshott fabrics I picked up? Well, since I didn't have a lot of them, I cut enough house blocks to make a small 16 block quilt.

The blocks come together quickly. I'm doing them all by hand, using freezer paper.

I cut out the freezer paper in the shape of the house by tracing it, then iron the waxy side of it to the right side of the fabric that will become the 'house'. After that, just pin it on the backing fabric, and turn the edges under as you go around using a blind applique stitch.

Easy as pie.

My favorite thread is YLI's #100, 100% silk thread. It is so thin that you really cannot see it in the finished block. Use the thread color of the house, not the background, or a taupe color if you don't have the right color at hand.

And if you haven't seen Kathie's house block on her Inspired by Antique Quilts Blog, take a quick click over, it's awesome. Very repro-looking but could also pass for Japanese Taupe as well. Cool!!

Happy Birthday, Mom (the big reveal)

Today is a special birthday for my Mom.

For her gift this year, my sister and I did a colaborative quilt project for her which we started making last Christmas.

It's a bed-sized quilt, all hand appliqued and hand quilted.

She really loves it, and I think it will help to make this birthday very special for her.

Thanks for teaching us to quilt, Mom, and have a great day!

I'll have to post some full sized pix of the quilt for you, as it is quite pretty to see the whole thing. I will also confess that I've been secretly sweating to finish this for the last several months.

It almost KILLED ME to do so much quilting and not post any pictures on the blog. Had to be a surprise though!!!

Whew! Done on time! Hooray!

Quilts Japan, Patchwork Quilt Tsushin, and sister visit

I'm just counting the moments until my little sister arrives. She and her husband will visit us for the weekend.

She made this block for me, her applique is awesome.

Ok, so the post you've all been waiting for....

So you wanna subscribe to Quilts Japan? or Patchwork Quilt Tsushin? Frankly, I don't blame you. I have subscriptions to both.

If you live in the U.S. - here's what you do:

1) Call Kinokuniya (408) 252-1300
2) Ask them to subscribe you for $75 + $30 shipping (current cost 9/2007)
3) Visit your mailbox expectantly every day

The $105 includes 6 issues. If my calculator works thats $17.50/issue.

If you're in Europe, I think you can go here and get some help to order them.

Oh, and 1 more thing...if you like my below post of fabric from Repro Depot, I also encourage you to also visit the "sale" section at Super Buzzy right now.

These fabrics are on SALE!!! and they support 1/2 yd cuts....thanks Kelly for the head's up!

Good to know there are so many options for us Japanese fabric junkies! Cheers to Super Buzzy and Repro Depot!! Can I sign over my entire paycheck?

Applique goddesses

On Saturday, I visited the quarterly meeting of the Applique Goddesses of Silicon Valley.

One of my amazing applique girlfriends took me with her.

It was their business meeting where they discuss direction for the group and other things that will go on during the coming quarter.

The best part was looking at their scrap book. They do a lot of very very pretty work. I decided to join, so I guess I'll be going to some dedicated quilting sessions about once a month.

That will be a cool way to get a bit more work done and to meet some very sweet ladies.

Almost 2

PIQF requires a full shot as well as a detailed photo for the entry, so this is the detail on the airplane quilt.

I quilted it (boldly!) in a medium tan thread, rather than white, so the stiches really POP.

A little confession here, as well as a warning - if you're a Japanese fabric addict - please don't visit Repro Depot's Japanese import section. Danger...warning...seriously cute fabrics here.

I cannot fit any additional fabric into my office, but I bought a tiny bit anyhow! Eeeek!

Well, our little "baby" will be 2 in about a week.

In preparation for the big party, I'm making a few little things...photos soon!