The last months for me have been relatively quiet...everywhere. My days have been filled with economizing decisions, that left me having to brush social media to the side in order to meet deadlines for some of the exciting things that I have coming up in 2020! So much of the last part of 2019 has been planning for this year!
The biggest part of 2020 for me, will be several teaching events here in Germany. A lot of time and energy went into scheduling, planning, writing class descriptions, and simply emailing other details back and forth.I will be teaching all my classes in German, which is a fun challenge since it is not my native language, but I am lucky that most Germans find an American accent to be charming.
This will be my third year teaching at Nadelwelt in Karlsruhe, Germany, and I am really excited about the two classes that I will be offering:
"Reverse Applique Method” for combining Simple Piecing &
Pieced Blocks.You most likely know that starch applique is one of my favorite applique methods, but reverse applique is a very close second... there are so many possibilities, and as I've mentioned before, can be a big short cut for some curved sewing quilt patterns. This technique becomes really exciting when it is combined with simple piecing or pieced blocks.
Combining Felt Applique with Quilting or Paper Projects. Adding felt applique can be a fun way to add interest and texture to a quilting project... or even mixed medium projects. Delicate and filigree cut out shapes can be achieved and highlighted with fun quilting fabrics using a reverse applique technique for that extra added surprise detail.
.. and now my full teaching schedule for 2020. I'm excited to get to cooperate with so many great shops and sewing groups... will I see you there?
Now, let's talk pattern releases: This spring and early summer will be a very busy pattern launch time. In March, my "Fly High, Dragonfly" and "A" Is For Apple patterns release, followed by "Purdy Bird" in June.
"Fly High, Dragonfly" will kick off the beginning of my teaching schedule in spring. I have a second version in the works to demonstrate the various steps, which has a more subtle and subdued feel than this one. This quilt is the perfect combination between traditional piecing and simple applique shapes.
Even though you've seen "A" Is For Apple before, I had to do some fine tuning and tweaking before it was ready for release. The pattern hits several techniques, including reverse applique and XXL applique... I've got another version in the works that I will be sharing soon... Granny Smith, anyone?
You may have remembered seeing "Purdy Bird" in the November 2019 issue of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine. Purdy Bird really is a mixed bag of quilting techniques, including paper piecing, curved piecing, and a New York Beauty block. The applique shapes are super simple, and this is the perfect project for an experienced quilter who would like to dabble in applique. If I have enough quilters that are interested, I am considering a Quilt-A-Long in the fall for Purdy Bird... are you game?
It's exciting for me to see the quilting community in Germany getting more connected to each other. Since quilting in Germany is not as well known as in the US, sometimes it can leave you feeling like a lone wolf. But now, because of groups like Das Quilt Kollektiv and Uta Hanson's Patchwork Online-Konferenz, more efforts are being made to connect online quiltling communities in Germany to each other.
I was so flattered that Uta asked me to be a part of her online conference, especially with her line-up of experts in the German speaking community. To sign up for the conference is free, and the interviews will be available for 24 hours. If you would like to watch the interviews after that, she has put together a package that you can purchase, and watch at your leisure.
You can hear my interview tomorrow on January 9th, 2020 (in German, of course) Find all the information on her website, patchworkfragen.de
... so are you ready for 2020? I am!
These last weeks have been all about getting ready.... getting ready to print my latest pattern, Whirly Girl... getting ready for my upcoming class in Hildesheim... getting ready for both of my Nadelwelt classes... getting ready for my next pattern release... not to mention finishing the quilt top for the pattern after that... wheh!?!... and what do I have to share? Not much... yet.
Well, how about we start with what's NOT under wraps? This weekend I'm teaching another starch applique class, and for those that have never tried this technique, I usually recommend starting out with a simple block that covers a little bit of everything. Since circles and leaves are a staple in many applique blocks, it's the perfect place to begin.
Once those are mastered, it's time to move on to bigger and better things. A simple heart is an ideal shape to begin with because it addresses the issue of an inward curve. Those are the points that can sometimes be tricky to handle because there's just not much fabric to work with.
Last fall, I made a sample block to demonstrate the starch applique technique when I taught a weekend course with Patch-Yard. She made another appearnace just recently in Patchwork Professional, where I did a little how-to "workshop" along with the magazine feature.
Since I will demonstrate this block yet again at Nadelwelt, I thought it might be time to make a plan for all those sample blocks, not that I get stuck with a bunch of random, orphan blocks that only get thrown into the WIP box later.... so I started a little fabric pull.
Thinking about it in hindsight, it might have been better to have a plan before I started - connecting these two blocks to each other is not the easiest divide to cross... not to mention that is a color combo that is way outside my comfort zone.
So, now I'm making lemonade out of lemons!
Take a look... take a really close look. Do you see anyone that you might recognize?...
I have to admit that there is nothing more satisfying than finally being able to let the cat out of the bag after sitting on a secret for so long. One of those secrets is that I am featured this months' issue of Patchwork Professional (German speaking quilting magazine)... and what else do you think I would be talking about, but Starch Applique?!? In the magazine, I give a detailed step-by-step how-to of my favorite method... so if you are in Germany, but are not able to make it to Nadelwelt, then be sure to pick up the current issue.
So, speaking of starch applique and secrets, should I share a little more of both?... my current behind-the-scenes-project! I've already shared a few little sneak peeks, but this is my current cat-IN-the-bag-project...my next quilt pattern, and my goal is to have it finished by May so I can release it at Nadelwelt!
I've actually done more extensive marking than I usually do on a quilt, but this one will actually be more heavily quilted than my norm. I used the templates from the New York Beauty block to be repeated for the quilting.
So far, using this Bohin marking pencil has my favorite way to mark a quilt. I like that it that it feeks soft when using, but does not easily break. It stays marked longer than any chalk-like marking tools, plus it has refills... not to mention that I don't have to worry about not being able to get the markings out later on. How many times have we heard those horror stories of quilters that can't get their marked quilts clean... I just want to cry for them too!
After much debate, I've decided to use a double batting on this quilt. Not because I'm wanting to do show quilting, but because the quality of my favorite batting has gone down... you could see the backing from the quilt!?! I kind of like how puffy it is, but it really does add a lot of bulk to an otherwise smaller quilt.
So, do you think you will be able to wait until the next cat is ready to come out of the bag?
Last week I shared about several upcoming events, one of them being my class offered at Nadelwelt on Color Theory for Quilters. I am super excited about this class becuase I am super excited about color! I think my love of color came from my dad, who finished college with an art degree.
I suppose that I've gushed a time or two about my super talented dad, and I remember all those "teachable moments" that he took full advantage of when I was young. He would always sneak in a narration here about contrasting colors, or a comment there to point out a particular color scheme... my life was filled with mini art lessons, painting sessions in our furnace room, and tips on mixing paint colors. While I feel that working with color is very intuitive for me, I realize that perhaps all those times heavily influenced me in the way I approach color now.
Since I realize that not everyone has had the advantage of daily art lessons since childhood, my hope is that teaching about what I've learned about color can take some of the guesswork out of picking fabrics for projects... it is my favorite part, you know?
So, you may have noticed in my last post, little cards with fabric swatches on them. I decided that this would be the prefect way to play around with fabric combinations without class participants having to travel with their whole stash!?!
I've started making cards myself, and I think it can really give you a better understanding of your tastes, likes, and dislikes. Painfully missing from my stash has been, and always will be, red. Kind of hard to believe that a beautiful red chair takes center stage in our living room, huh? But, I think seeing your stash in this way helps to assess what you have and what's missing, and what you "need".
Fabric swatch cards are a great way to do a pre-pull before that big explosion that we all know happens... please don't tell me that I am the only one whose room literally looks like a bomb has exploded after the fabric pull has commenced?
How many times, have you been fabric shopping, and you've had to manage those loose swatches to find a missing accent fabric OR you ended buying a fabric that you were just certain was a perfect match, only to realize once you got home that you were a couple shades off? These are great to slip in your wallet when you head to your local quilt shop.
So, even if your aren't able to make it to Nadelwelt, I thought I would share these little fabric swatch cards that I made... for FREE! They're in English AND in German. Go on... show me your stash!
So much of the first part of my year has been the push get ready for Nadelwelt, which included finishing my fourth pattern, Home Sweet Home Applique Sampler. I was able to pre-release the pattern for the show, and it officially releases next week! Right now the dust has not yet settled, and I've not even really had time to fully process the whole event, but I can assure that I had a blast!
The first day of the show I taught a class on the starch applique method. I really have it in my head to possibly put out a couple videos on this fantastic technique, but everything in it's time, right? I ended up taking my two latest quilts, as well as a good number of smaller applique project samples.
... you may have already noticed that my patterns are now available in print! I'm
also excited to that a few shops in Germany
will be carrying my in-print patterns. I'll be sharing details very soon!
Even though the class was listed that I would teaching in English, because there were only German speakers in the class, I actually found it helpful to flip to German... talk about a challenge - try explaining a technique, using technical terms in a foreign language... but I'm glad to say that I came out on the other side without any major injuries.
I got the feeling that my class participants really enjoyed a different approach to applique, and I was asked by a couple of shops to offer courses with them too... keep your eyes peeled for more on that as it develops.
So, start your one week countdown clock... I've got some pretty exciting news to share next week with the official release of my Home Sweet Home quilt pattern... and it has something to do with fabric!
Really happy to check this first finish of the quarter off my Finish-A-Long list!
The countdown has officially begun... I'm about a week away from heading out to Nadelwelt, and I couldn't be more nervous and excited at the same time. So much to think of... pack... plan... check off the list, and that's exactly what I'm doing.
I shared last week my two latest kicks that I am somehow needing to get out of my system - felt and reverse applique. Both of these projects are blocks from my Home Sweet Home applique sampler, which releases in May!
I usually make a lot of pillows with several factors in mind. Firstly, I always like to show smaller sample projects that can be made for a large quilt pattern... it gets ideas flowing for how a pattern can be translated into a smaller and more doable piece - not everyone likes doing long distance marathon quilts, you know.
Secondly, it gives me the opportunity to experiment... so far I've been in my safe "swirls" free motion quilting bubble, and it gives me room to try other quilting motifs. For my "Blooms" pillow, I branched out a bit and did a combination of flowers, leaves, and swirls. I don't always feel confident with connecting one movement to the next, but that's why you practice... right?
Thirdly, I find that I actually need smaller in between projects as a breather when I am working on a bigger one. Sometimes my sewing time is a bit here and there, and if it takes too long to get back into a big project, at least I'm still sewing on an easier to pick-up-where-I-left-off project... I'd say that's killing a lot of birds with just one stone!
So, I'm not sure if I'll be able to check here in next week since I'll be super busy packing my bags, but don't go too far because there's a lot coming up in May... my Home Sweet Home applique sampler is finished, and releases May 16th!... PLUS I've got a little surprise coming up on Instagram.
Hope to see you at Nadelwelt - be sure to say hello if you are there!
Linking up for the Q2 Finish-A-Long
When I was a little girl, I would take a peanut butter sandwich in my school lunch everyday... and I really mean EVERY day. No jelly, just peanut butter. I suppose this went on for years, and I have to admit that I smile inwardly when my littlest asks for a cream cheese sandwich, yup, you guessed it... EVERY day.
While I no longer eat peanut butter sandwiches on a daily basis, I do notice that I have a tendency that when I get in a phase, that I stick with for a while... just like my peanut butter sandwiches. I suppose that the need to get it fully out of my system sometimes doesn't just stop with the first project. And it would appear that felt applique is the current flavor of the month.
I had shared little sneak peeks of my washing symbols project last week, but now they are finished up and ready to go to Nadelwelt. I really wanted to focus on more detailed quilting, and love the way these turned out once they were framed... see, I don't always make just pillows ; )
But as you can imagine, one project snowballs into another, and then into the next... like a potato chip, I couldn't stop with just one, right?!? I shared this sneak peak on Instagram this week of yet another felt applique project that I am working on... quilted up and ready to be turned into? what else...
... another peanut butter sandwich. You can see it coming now, can't you?
Do you have a tendency to get stuck on one favorite technique, pattern, favorite fabric pull like a favorite sandwich?
