Social Distancing Quilting

It took me a long time to get plugged into the quiltng community here in Germany. Not because I didn't want to, but often it was simply a matter of how? It started with a chance "online meeting" with another quilter in Germany that eventually grew into a quilting group. Then after I started posting regularly on Instagram, and eventually attending Nadelwelt, some of those online connections with other quilters in Germany became more personal.

As I mentioned in my last post, I've recently had two teaching events that were canceled because of caronavirus... and now there's another to be added to the list - a summer workshop in July with Victoria Findlay Wolfe - in Germany! 

I realize that I'm not the only who has had their world turned upside down... everyone has had important things cancelled... everyone has had things that they were looking forward to that just won't happen. I'm very sad for my niece, who totally lost all the would-be memorable experiences of her senior year. In light of the magnitude of things, I know that missing a silly little class pales in comparison to what some are going through right now.

As with my teaching events that were cancelled, it's not really about any loss of income... but more about loss of contact and interaction with other quilters - you just don't find a quilter on every corner here. We had even booked a little vacation apartment with three other quilters - fantastic women, who are talented quilters and lots of fun... not to mention several other quilters that I knew were traveling to be there. It was essentially to be a big social meet-up right in my "back yard"! (instead of me having to travel south)

You may remember that last summer, I was already getting ready for this class... it might have seemed a little crazy at the time to be getting prepared so far in advance, but since I knew what was on my calendar, I didn't want to feel stressed because I had to throw something together at the last minute.

So, after I got word that the class was cancelled, I decided to pull out all those pieces and give it a whirl. Now, I never expected that this would be the kind of block that you just whip up. Since I've been sewing for so long, curves and y-seams don't scare me. I can't really say that this block is hard, per say, but it can be a patience tester. I am a big fan of sewing bigger, and trimming afterwards - it's what works for me. So, when you have to manage exact match ups on that many curves, it can be a challenge... and with nine blocks already cut, I'm kind of pretty committed!

So, during this social distancing time, I've starting climbing a Mount Everest... by myself. Are you climbing any mountains right now too?

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From Virtual To Reality

When the quilting community where is you live is so small, it makes it worth your while to take the extra effort to make real connections happen. I think that it's safe to say, that the majority of my quilting friends and connections have come via the Internet. The even more exciting part of that, is that I've had the opportunity to turn many of those online connections to real life ones.

I have actually followed Rachel's blog, Stitched in Color for quite some time now... falling into the all too common "silent reader" category, and only later on Instagram commenting back and forth more frequently. Since she has recently moved to Europe, we now have the commonality of both being American expats. I have to admit, that I am really glad that I have some of those challenges of living in a foreign country already behind me. Each step was a process, and I know exactly what she is going through having made the brave leap.

Recently my husband and I traveled to the Netherlands for our anniversary. In the days before our trip, it dawned on me that Rachel could be somewhere close by... when I googled it, I realized it was only about an hour from where we were staying!?!

Since I had been mulling it over in my mind for months to send her one of my quilts, I decided that our travels would take us too close to not see if an in-person hand over would be possible (how awesome is that, that your husband takes a detour to listen to you "talk shop" on your anniversary trip?!?)

I found her to be very warm and pleasant, exactly as she comes across on her blog. I got the feeling that she really cared about the quilting that she was doing... especially since she knew that this was to be a very personal quilt, and planned to be used frequently in our living room! 

Needless to say, I am super over the top excited about how the quilt turned out. Since I am more into organic and natural shapes, the plumage design was my first pick. I had the idea to make the design a bit bigger to give it a more modern feel. It was actually very helpful for me to talk it over in person, not to mention that we had some other fun quilty conversations too.

Welcome to this small, but open quilting community here... you might have to dig deep to find them, but when you do, you'll find that they are gold!

... and if you happen to be in Europe, Rachel is offering a €20 discount on her quilting services this week! Just use the code: jumpstart.

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Ready, Set, Cut

I'm back! What?... didn't you notice that I was gone? This year we were blessed to be able to visit my family again in the US. Usually a few months before we travel home I notice that I feel like my emotional tank is almost on empty. Expat living can have it's challenges, and while I generally do I ok for most of the year in Germany, I find that I REALLY need time that I can just be me... effortlessly. without thinking. in my own language. in familiar surroundings. with people who are just as familiar as my own face.

With three airplanes, that are sandwiched in between two long drives, it might be easy to see why our travels are planned for such a long time. While I deeply savor the down time, and sliding back into the "just being me" role, I notice that shortly after jet lag is a passing memory, that my fingers start to itch.

During the summer I was able to get together with my aunt for a little "shop talk". I thoroughly enjoyed hearing her explain that she has the same "need" to create - it just has to come out! (insert image of me nodding my head vigorously in agreement during the whole conversation, while taking pleasure in knowing that I am not the only one who feels this way)

But what's a girl who has itching fingers, but no sewing machine supposed to do? Well, when her mini iron breaks, and applique blocks are no longer an option... then she buys fabric at half price, and cuts it up! 

I generally don't cut for a whole project at one time, but this one happens to fit that case. Next July I will attend a class with Victoria Findlay Wolfe. It might sound a little over the top to be preparing for it so far in advance, but since cutting fabric was just about the only thing I could do during summer break, I just had to go with it... not to mention that I pretty much have my sewing/pattern writing/teaching calendar planned through next summer!?!

So, make sure you get a good look at this project because you won't see it again until next summer. I have to say that I'm glad that I was able to get everything cut for this quilt, so I don't have to stress about prepping in the middle of an already busy schedule... when the time roles around for the class, I can just sit down and sew. Hmmm...

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Link-Up #summerstacksundays Summer Smoothie

When working on a fabric pull, just because there might be multiple colors in the inspiration fabric, doesn't mean that all the rest of the fabrics have to be packed full with just as many colors. She really IS the star of the show, and if there is too much competition for the center stage, the show doesn't run as planned. When the supporting fabrics are doing just that, even though there might be a lot going on in the inspiration fabric, she is somehow balanced.The supporting fabrics are supporting, and not trying to take over the show.

For the #summerstacksundays Link-up, I found that I ended up using several Anna Maria Horner prints that were my starting inspiration point. Her prints really lend themselves for being the star of the show. I have three designers that usually find a prominent spot in my quilts, and perhaps it's not hard to see why - her fabrics are the perfect combination of strong design and strong color. (a BIG win, win in my book)

For this week's fabric stack, I really wanted to focus on some of the softer shades. On the photo, this stack might appear to still be fairly saturated, but live it's actually pretty toned down. Cover up that last darker periwinkle fabric, and you'll see what I mean. What I like about a multi-color print like this, is that there are so many color options to consider. I could focus on the bright vibrant pinks, or I could have gone with some deeper aquas, and even pulled in more of the periwinkle blues.

This week's challenge: Start out with an inspiration fabric and try a pull with soft shades... and then try it again with deeper and more saturated hues. I would love to hear about it... start stacking!

  
Remember that anyone can link up their fabric stack, even if you are coming late to the party. Be sure mention that you are linking up with Campbell Soup Diary for #summerstacksundays. You can also link up from Instagram. The link-up runs from July 5th - September 1st.

Please take the time to visit/comment/like the posts from others who are linking up and be sure to look through the comments. If you happen to be struggling with your fabric stack, then just say so in the comments, so the rest of us can stop by and maybe help you out... sometimes a fresh eye can see something that might have been missed.  

I decided to leave the last two weeks as an open theme... let's see what you come up with!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Link-Up #summerstackfridays Cool Colors

    
Are you living in a corner of the world where you are ready for the summer heat to cool down? There has been quite a heat wave in Germany this summer, and thoughts of ice cream, swimming pools, and cool breezes are occupying most people's minds these days.

Last week's summer stack, we warmed it up, but this week it's time to turn that color wheel to the other side and explore the cooler side of things with shades of green, blues, and purples. I like to challenge myself to try to take a color scheme and approach it differently than my usual high saturation / high contrast palette. When I think of cool colors, I think in the pure hues... essentially the colors at the top of the color wheel. Toning things down with softer, pastel colors that is still within the cool color range, is a fun alternative.

Again, this stack originally started out with an inspiration fabric from Anna Maria Horner... is it a little obvious by now that I am a big fan? This print is full of directional color cues that are quite easy to follow. I actually went with a fuller range, but this fabric could easily concentrate on just the blues or just the greens, without the additional fuchsia accents.

So, which color scheme do you find yourself leaning torwards... cool or warm? I suppose I have color moods, that can change from day to day. What are you stacking this week? Join in on the fun and link up with me!

Be sure mention that you are linking up with Campbell Soup Diary for the #summerstacks Link-Up party. Anyone can link up their fabric stack, even if you are coming late to the party, and I will keep the link open for a week. You can also link up from Instagram. The link-up runs from July 5th - August 30th.

Please take the time to visit/comment/like the posts from others who are linking up and be sure to look through the comments. If you happen to be struggling with your fabric stack, then just say so in the comments, so the rest of us can stop by and maybe help you out... sometimes a fresh eye can see something that might have been missed.  

If you are following the weekly themes, next week I'll be sharing a complimentary color scheme next week - red/green, blue/orange, or yellow/purple... which one do you think I'll pick?

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Link-Up #summerstackfridays Primary

One of the benefits of documenting fabric pulls is that it gives you a starting point, once you are actually ready to dive into a new project. If you are like me, you might have several projects going at one time, but may have to wait until the other projects are finished before starting new ones... having time to think about favorite fabric stacks may not always match the beginning of a new project.

So for this weeks' #summerstackfridays, I started out with this "Ladder" print from the Sweet Dreams collection, from Anna Maria Horner as my inspiration fabric.The darker dots are actually an interesting dark, greenish-khaki color that is a little hard to match up. Since I don't have very much of this color in my stash, I ended up letting it read a little more gold than green.

When you match up this color to a color card/wheel, you notice that this IS the same color... just a few steps above it. By staying in the same color family, I am able to work in a color that appears to not even be in the inspiration fabric... all I did was lighten it.

Since the gold fabrics that I chose also have some pink/coral accents, it connects to the inspiration fabric. Some of the lighter and darker shades of teal are fairly obvious picks, but if I am being perfectly honest, I have to admit that I struggle a little bit with this fabric pull... not the fabric selection part, but the end result. I'm not the biggest "primary color combo" fan. If you break this stack down, it is "blue, yellow, and red"... obviously not in it's pure and bright shades, but primary nonetheless. Visit my previous post for a few more ideas how to put a twist on your primary color palette.

Currently I have a project in the works, where I used a several of these fabrics. Since it is not a high priority, deadline project, it will be on the back burner for a bit. Now that I have it cataloged, I can pull this fabric stack back up when I'm ready to pick it up again and see where I left off. Keeping a fabric stash pull in the same photo folder is really helpful once a project is being pulled to the front burner again.

So, what are you stacking this week? Do you have any color combinations that you struggle with too? If you are following the weekly themes, then how about if we warm things up next week, with a "warm colors" fabric stack - think reds, oranges, and yellows... we are headed into summer, you know?

Be sure mention that you are linking up with Campbell Soup Diary for the #summerstacks Link-Up party. Anyone can link up their fabric stack, even if you are coming late to the party, and I will keep the link open for a week. You can also link up from Instagram. The link-up runs from July 5th - August 30th.

Please take the time to visit/comment/like the posts from others who are linking up and be sure to look through the comments. If you happen to be struggling with your fabric stack, then just say so in the comments, so the rest of us can stop by and maybe help you out... sometimes a fresh eye can see something that might have been missed.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

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Put Your Feet Up - Brimfield Stool

I recently had a visit from a quilty friend for the weekend, and it seemed as if I was all over the place with my projects... somehow, I wasn't really motivated to work on the things that I was "supposed" to work on... and I actually pulled out a project that had been a long time in the works... for a long time.

When I first started this Brimfield block, I didn't have a specific plan, but had thought to possibly make a little pillow for my living room. Since I already have several quilted pillows, I quickly concluded that it was perhaps a little predictable... and even overdone. By the time I had decided to turn this single block into a stool, the next step was to actually find a stool.  

Anyone who is keen on vintage shopping or furniture refurbishing knows that you might have a general idea of what you are looking for, but may not find it on the first couple excursions. Sometimes you find the most when you are not looking for something specific.

Last year on the way home from Nadelwelt, I made a spontaneous stop at a little antique place that was on the side of the road. I was excited to find some comic books for my boys, a few vintage cigar items for my husband, and yes, you guessed... a stool for me!

But as you can imagine, my block had been basted, half quilted, and put on the back burner by then. It's not always easy to pick up a project that has been packed away for so long, dust it off, and jump back in.

Because I had to custom fit the block to the stool, you can probably imagine how nerve wracking it was to cut this block into a circle... if the measurements slightly off, then I would have to scrap the whole thing - only one-chance-cutting here. Sewing the inset circle was nothing new to me, because I did it often from my purse-making days... and give me a staple gun, and I am a happy girl.

... and just like that, to my surprise, I was stapling away for a weekend finish!?! I was super please how well the upholstery fit. So the only thing left for me to do now, is kick back and really put my feet up.

Pattern: Brimfield Block, from Brimfield Awaking
Fabrics: Anna Maria Horner, Alison Glass, Heather Baily
Background: Essex Linen

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Reverse Applique How-To with Spray Starch

Even though there are endless possibilities with reverse applique, somehow it seems that it is the forgotten method... perhaps for some it's just not a familiar technique, or maybe for others it's just a little nerve racking to cut that hole in the middle of the fabric. Whatever the reason might be, let me show you how fabulous a technique it really is... and that it gets even better when you use spray starch!

This is the current status of my Folk Flower quilt. The block can be found on Creativebug from Anna Maria Horner, in which she essentially uses the reverse applique technique, but per hand. Since hand sewing doesn't even come into question for me, why not use the same approach... but with starch applique?!?

Start by layering two pieces of freezer paper, both shiny side down. Iron together, leaving the steam function OFF. Using a compass, draw a circle in the center of the template, and trim so that there are the same measurements on all sides. For this template, I left one inch on all sides. I'll show you why it is important to do this in the next step. When cutting out the shape, start cutting directly on the line instead of cutting into the template - we'll be using the cut-out for a later step.
 

Remember how I said that it is important to have the same measurements on all sides? Well, this is because it can be a big help when you are placing the template on the fabric. You can easily measure how far the template is to be placed on the background fabric, so that you end up having the template spaced the same on every block. Place the shiny side of the template on the wrong side of your fabric, and iron in place.

The next step might be a little bit of the scary part for some, and that's cutting a hole in the middle of your fabric. I'm sure we all had those grade school teachers who scolded to NEVER cut shapes out of the center of the paper, but rather from the edges. Well, this is where you get to brush that little voice off your shoulder, and be brave. I usually use about a 1/4" seam allowance.

... and make sure you keep that fabric cut-out, and in all one piece!

For regular starch applique circles, it's not needed to clip along the curve, but it this case it is necessary. Usually you can feel the spots where you need to clip - if it feels like you are having a little resistance for the fabric to wrap around to the back, you most likely need a little snip in that spot. Since I used bias tape on this block, I made sure to cut on either side so I wouldn't have to cut into the bulk.

For the leaf shape, you actually have to make less cuts - just around the rounded part of the template, and in the sharp point.

Begin by spraying starch in a small ashtray or bowl. Wait for the bubbles to dissolve, and using a stiff brush, begin to brush the starch on the seam allowance. If you are unsure about your supplies, then you can read my Top-Ten Starch Applique Tips or visit my YouTube channel.

Use a mini-iron to iron the seam allowance to the back of the template.The starch will hold it it place.

Once you have ironed the fabric to the back of template, you can remove the freezer paper template.

Remember how I told you that you would be needing the center cut-outs from your templates? Well, this is why: Because you can use them as a cutting template for your fabric that will be inserted on the back side of the block. Simply align the cut-out on your selected fabric, and use about a 1/2" seam allowance. Here I use a larger seam allowance to make sure that I can center the shape as I want it.

Use an applique basting glue, apply a thin line along the seam allowance. 

Position the fabric behind the finished opening, so that the fabric is "peeking" through. Once the placement is as desired, iron in place to set.

If there is excess fabric on the back side, trim as desired so that the extra fabric will not be seen from the front side of the block.

There are two ways that you can stitch the block in place: Most of the time I use an invisible thread from Aurifil, and using a straight stitch, sew as close to the edge as possible.

The second way that can be used to finish the block, is to stitch it in place from behind. Simply fold the fabric to the side, and stitch along the pressed seam line. Your thread will not be seen from the front.

Remember how I said to keep the fabric cut-outs from the beginning? This is where you can really bring "waste not, want not" to life - here I reduced the size of my leaf shape, and used the cut-outs for leaves for another project.

I did the same thing for the circle cut-outs, and I really like how they look with the bias tape stripe. I could imagine that these would make a sweet baby quilt, with a good amount of negative space for design interest.

... oh, the possibilies!

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