Issue Six
triangles, selvedges, curves projects for everyone!
MM goes
geometric aurora
the final chapter! Meet Alison
Glass
14 creative
we find out what inspires her make
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projects issue six
meet the makers
Alex Bartholomew
Alyce Blyth
Anne Beier
Sarah Boyle
@bluebirdfabrics
@hudsonvalleyquilts
@blossomheartquilts
@bluebirdcreates
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blog
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Kelly Elliot @thequiltmachine blog
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Cristy Fincher
Melissa Gottliebsen
Lori Hartman
@cristycreates
@msmidge
@lorihartmandesigns
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meet the makers
Jane Kelly
Kristy Lea
@wherejanecreates
@quietplay
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Carlie Lincoln @quilty_carlie
Tricia Mathis @quiltbugcreations blog
Rachel McCormack Kristi McDonough
Lori Miller
Casey York
@rachelwoodenspoon
@schnitzelandboo
@lorimillerdesigns
@caseyyorkdesign
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issue six
ask the makers
quilty fears ach issue, we ask our contributors a very important question about some aspect of quilting. Regardless of how long we’ve been quilting and sewing, there is always something to learn or something we’re still a little hesitant to try. So this issue we asked our makers to share their quilty fears. We’re pretty sure you’ll find you’re not alone in those quilty things you’ve not yet tried!
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Jane of Where Jane Creates & MM Editor "I try to be a brave quilter these days, because trying new things, even if I suck at them at first, helps me become more skilled and opens up doors. And at the end of the day, it's only fabric... albeit very pretty, expensive fabric. However, I used to have a great fear of foundation piecing and it took me many years before I first tried it (and the first attempt was a teary disaster!).”
Kristy of Quiet Play & MM Creative Director “Despite trying it more than once… free motion quilting is still something I struggle with. I adore how it looks, and admire quilters who can do it beautifully, but I think it might stay in the ‘too hard basket’ for the time being!”
Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts “Despite a certain amount of chocolate-formed curves already in place, sewing precise curves and using brown are still avoided like the plague.”
Carlie of Quilty_Carlie “One of my biggest quilty fears is not having enough time to make what I want to make! But in terms of techniques, I'm a bit scared of curves and hand sewing i need to brush up on – otherwise I'm game for pretty much everything else.”
Lori of Lori Miller Designs “I used to be afraid of hand quilting, why would anyone do that? It seemed sooo slow and I like to see progress on my projects. But I stepped out of my comfort zone and took a hand quilting class with Caron Mosey. It was fun! I started handquilting with a big stitch, very forgiving. My advice, take a class from a great teacher in the very technique that you fear. New found confidence and new found skills can go together.”
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Casey of Casey York Designs "I love to do my own quilting, both in straight lines on my domestic machine and freehand on a rented long-arm, but I have not yet mustered the courage to try free-motion quilting a piece on my domestic machine. I see other quilters produce such amazing results with this technique, and I know I have lots and lots of practicing to do before I get to that level."
Lori of Lori Hartman Designs “I have tried to stay fearless in the face of difficult quilting techniques but for some reason, I can't seem to get myself to try free motion quilting. Maybe it's the fear of failure and knowing that it won't be ‘up to my standards’ the first time I try. I need to get over it!”
Tricia of Quilt Bug Creations “I love applique, but I get nervous to use the needle turn applique method. I think the reason is because it is so tedious to prepare and sew by hand.”
Kristi of Schnitzel & Boo “My quilty fears… needle turn applique. I'm sure it's pretty easy, but it just sounds like a lot of work. I've never even looked up how to do it or read any instructions on it, but in my mind I picture hours and hours of running stitches and carefully turning things under with an iron and then endless amounts of hidden stitches. And then what if I do something wrong? Like, I stitch the wrong piece down, or I fold too much of an edge under and now the whole thing is ruined? I'd have to go an unstitch, remove, iron out and possibly recut the whole piece. That's the kind of thing that would make me throw the entire project into the UFO pile (or the trash!) Of course, I'm probably wrong about the whole thing and you're all laughing at me but that's okay. I mean hey – I used to be afraid of Improv Quilting!”
Rachel of Wooden Spoon Quilts “I've spent the last few years confronting many of my quilty fears... curves, paper piecing, hand quilting, quilt math... But there's one fear that I can't seem to conquer and that is my fear of FMQ. I've FMQed nearly a dozen quilts now but it still makes me nervous and I still avoid it if I can, luckily I love straight line quilting too!”
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meet the maker
rachel mccormack wooden spoon quilts or Rachel of Wooden Spoon Quilts, a busy mum from New Zealand, a chance encounter with a now-famous quilting book set her on a creative path that now fills her spare time with amazing fabric, design, and colour.
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Although she’s only been blogging for a year (though she’s been on IG and Flickr a lot longer), Rachel of Wooden Spoon Quilts has captivated many of us with her fresh, modern style and her ability to create scrappy quilts that are always greater than the sum of their collective fabric parts. This comes as no surprise, really, when you discover that Rachel’s first quilty influence was the book , by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke – Rachel has embraced the scrappy style she was first drawn to. She elaborates: “My quilting journey started over seven years ago when I fell in love with Mum’s copy of . I loved the book so much I bought myself a copy even though I hadn’t sewn since high school. Completely inspired, I dusted off grandma’s old sewing machine, pulled out the machine manuals and started sewing. My first projects were a few simple pillow covers, then I graduated to the Taxi Tote from Anna Maria Horner’s book Seams to Me. A few months later Mum and I went shopping for quilting fabric and I started my first quilt, a brick quilt based on a free pattern by Amy Butler. I was lucky that Mum knew the fundamentals of quilt making and showed me how to do some of the trickier bits, like basting and hand quilting. I finished that quilt and immediately started the next. I was hooked.”
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awesome applique
sultan quilt by Casey York
his quilt was inspired by the Tughra, or ceremonial calligraphic signature, of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, which dates from the mid-16th century and represents some of the hallmarks of traditional Islamic calligraphy. Its sinuous forms, rich yet minimalist colors, and use of pattern all form parallels with some of the best characteristics of modern quilt making. This striking quilt is exceedingly simple to put together using raw-edge fusible machine applique, serving as a great introduction to this technique and the effects it makes possible for the modern quilter.
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geometric bliss
going geometric by Kristy Lea
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eometric design is everywhere we look. From tiles on the floor, clothing in the stores, to artwork we use to decorate our homes. It’s a popular theme at the moment and here at , we’re loving it!
It’s only natural that this design element appeals to quilters. After all, isn’t that what quilting is all about? Cutting fabric into shapes and working out ways to piece it all together to make a cohesive design. Geometric design is a basic in quilt making – think about those gorgeous triangle quilts you see, hexagon quilts or even the simple nine patch quilt. Do a quick search for ‘geometric quilt design’ and you’ll be overwhelmed with the fabulousness that shows up!
Lately though, there’s been a fabulous modern spin on geometrics. It’s what modern quilting is all about – taking something tried and tested and tweaking it just a little to end up with some amazing designs. Look at Kelly Liddle’s (@jeliquilts) amazing quilt. It’s a fabulous geometric design, inspired by an IKEA postcard and the carefully chosen fabrics really make it a standout quilt. You can’t get much more modern than this quilt – and yet it’s made with a basic quilting technique – half square triangles (HSTs). This is how quilters make modern.
by Kelly Liddle @jeliquilts
Not so surprisingly, Kelly’s designs have been inspired by the every day. How many times, as a quilter, have you seen something and thought ‘there’s a quilt in that’? Well, Kelly has taken that to the next level, designed the pattern and made a stunning quilt – all because of a tissue box. Kelly explains, “ was inspired by and aptly named after a box of tissues I found in my local supermarket. I found it far more challenging to create the shapes on this mini and make it easy to sew. I love how the effect changes completely depending on fabric placement.”
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issue six
take it slow
changing tides by Lori Hartman
here’s something therapeutic about slowing your sewing down with handwork – and English paper piecing is the perfect technique for slow sewing. This stunning table runner uses a selection of cool, fresh prints that are paper pieced then appliqued onto a linen background.
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piece and love
intersections by Kristi McDonough
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his gorgeous quilt features a muted colour palette and a design that is reminiscent of the American South West. Large scale piecing makes it fast to put together, while secondary patterns add interest to the design.
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meet the designer
alison glass by Anne Beier
lison Glass is a talented quilter, author, fabric, quilt and surface designer and unless you’ve been hiding under a quilt for the last few years, you’ll recognise her as one of the rising stars of the quilting world. We caught up with her to learn more about her creative background and her design process.
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Alison’s fabric lines for Andover, which include , , , , and most recently, , have generated a great deal of interest for quilters who are looking for modern prints with more muted tones. Her recent book, , is a must-have reference for any quilter. Alison also has a collection of quilt patterns, kits, and embroidery threads. Born in Texas, Alison graduated from the College of Education at The University of Texas, Austin. “At the time, going to art/design school didn’t seem like an option. Retrospectively it would have been a good idea, but then again, it would have changed so much, a lot of which I wouldn’t want to change or to have missed out on, both good and bad experiences, that have contributed to who I am, and what I care about today,” she says of her education. After graduation, she married her husband Chris and they travelled a lot, living in LA, then back in Austin where both their children were born. After a few years in Michigan, they settled in Virginia, where they currently live. For Alison, moving around a lot exposed her to a lot of different environments, and she is very thoughtful about how living in these areas has influenced her creativity, and significantly added dimension to her growth both personally and professionally.
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piece it pretty
imogen by Sarah Boyle
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his pretty quilt uses an elongated triangle shape that is reminiscent of bunting floating across a clear blue sky. Mixing the same print in different colourways with a solid gives interest without overwhelming patterns.
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solid gold
glowstick by Cristy Fincher
lever use of colour makes this striking quilt a real stand out. It’s the perfect example of how you can create something amazing using just solid fabrics by simply switching out one block for different colours, making the entire quilt absolutely pop.
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