Make Modern Issue 9 Preview

Issue Nine Meet Amy

Gibson

Stitchery Dickory Dock

quilter’s guilt

we all have it!

Christa Watson talks quilting

14 fun

projects make

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minis, cushions & quilts

issue nine

meet the makers

Anne Beier

Diane Bohn

@hudsonvalleyquilts

@blossomheartquilts

@fromblankpages

blog

blog

blog

Cheryl Brickey

Lisa Chambers

Melissa Gottliebsen

@meadowmistdesigns

@chambsvacc

@msmidge

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blog

blog

Lori Hartman make

Alyce Blyth

Sedef Imer

Rose Johnston

@lorihartmandesigns

@downgrapevinelane

@threadbarecreations

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blog

blog

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issue nine

meet the makers

Jane Kelly @wherejanecreates

Tricia Mathis

Kristy Lea @quietplay

Jenn Nevitt

Sasha Lowry @sashalowry

Leanne Parsons

@quiltbugcreations

@mommysew

@devotedquilter

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blog

blog

Christa Watson

Angie Wilson

Bec Proschogo @skyberries

@christaquilts

@gnomeangel

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blog

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issue nine

meet the maker

amy gibson Stitchery Dickory Dock

By Anne Beier

my Gibson is a household name in the quilting world, a long time quilter with a fantastic eye for colour, pattern and design. She’s hosted classes on Craftsy, has an inspiring blog and has just written a book, all while running a household that includes four young children. We’re delighted to get to know the woman behind the quilts.

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, a few years ago.

I came across Amy's blog, It had great tutorials, patterns for sale, The Sugar Block Club, (a monthly BOM), and tons of inspiration. But what I found most compelling was her section titled, ‘The Woman Behind The Blog’: it communicates Amy’s openness about her life, her ability to deal with adversity, her positive attitude, and her generosity of spirit.

For 2014, Amy began each month’s post with a ‘Personal Challenge’. This was the first post I ever read on her blog, and I was so moved by this story I knew I wanted to interview her.

Several years ago when the economy took a huge nosedive, Amy’s husband found himself without a job and an income to support a growing family. It was a tough time. They had to sell their beautiful suburban home, and pull up roots in a community.

The family rented an affordable apartment, while her husband looked for work. The stress of having young children intensified the situation. They pulled up their bootstraps, and moved forward in a positive, productive way. The family's unwavering faith and resilience prevailed.

Her husband found a new job. Amy found herself selling quilt patterns online, teaching for Craftsy, and creating a successful blog. What gumption, grace and a cheerful, positive attitude.

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piece and love

jelly baby

by Alyce Blyth

T make

ake a traditional quilt block, use an alternate grid setting to add a ton of negative space, and add a twist – one of these things is not like the other! Is it a mistake or a design decision? Let the quilting make that clear.

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issue nine

ask the makers

fabric regrets 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. We all seem to have a fabric line that we regret missing out on - this issue we find out from our makers their biggest fabric regrets.

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Kristy of Quiet Play& MM Creative Director was one of my top most lusted after fabrics - I was thrilled to discover " it’s being reprinted and have already pre-ordered it. However I am kicking myself

by Mo Bedell. So pretty.” that I didn’t get a bundle of

Alyce of Blossom Heart Quilts "I'd have said but I "wasn't around" (aka quilting) when it first came out. I do wish I'd bought some of the Sunday Clippings print from . I only have a fat quarter that I was gifted and I'm treasuring it!"

Lori of Lori Hartman Designs “Oh there are so many fabric regrets. There are two lines that were released before I entered the quilting world that I missed out on and thankfully they are being reprinted, and . I also wish that I had bought more of Melody Miller's older prints. Oh and Anna Maria Horner's line. And maybe Rashida Coleman Hale's line. Like I said, so many regrets!”

Leanne of Devoted Quilter “I guess I’m the odd one out, because I don’t follow particular designers or particular fabric lines. I generally only buy the fabric I need for the projects I’m working on, so I don’t buy entire lines. I don’t feel like I’ve missed out on anything, because I’m always able to find something I love when it’s time to go fabric shopping!”

Sedef of Down Grapevine Lane “I have so many but my top three regrets are probably

by Aneela Hoey,

by Bonnie & Camille, and

by Alexander Henry! I have little bits and pieces of each but I wish I had bought yardage of these when they were out.”

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Sasha of SashaLowry “I am a huge Tula Pink fanatic but I only got into quilting a few years ago so I missed out on many of her earlier prints. If I had a time machine, I would go back collection! I love all things nautical so this is my ultimate and buy her fabric lust.”

Rose of Threadbare Creations from Bonnie and Camille. I love all of their fabric “Hands down lines but this one is my favorite. Its such a gorgeous range, with lovely soft shades and beautiful patterns. I regret not buying heaps more than I did when it was released. My stash is slowly dwindling now and if they were to re-release an older line, I'm hoping it will be this one.”

Cheryl of Meadowmist Designs

by Fig Tree & Co when it “I really wish that I had gotten some first came out. I had been working on a quilt and had to decide between and (by Bonnie and Camille). I went with and so I missed out on . I was so happy to hear that the collection is going to re-released next year.”

Jenn of Mommy Sew “I missed out on . When I first started quilting I didn't realize that fabric wouldn't be on the shelves forever! I did slowly collect the entire original line, but I'm really glad it's been re-released!”

Christa of Christa Quilts “I wish I had stocked up more on Bonnie and Camille's like their fresh style!”

. I really

Bec of Skyberries ‘I often find it's just a particular print that I wish I hadn't missed rather than a full line (ribbon flowers from , I'm looking at you - hooray for the reprint!) but there was this one line.

by Lizzy House is my favourite line ever and it came out well before I knew anything about designer quilting fabric. Through some good luck and the kindness of people all over the world, I'm lucky enough to now own some of each print from the line. Many thanks, on line quilting community!”

Diane of From Blank Pages “Of all the fabrics that I've missed out on, there are two collections that make me wish I had started quilting sooner. The first is

by Anna Maria Horner (which over the years I've been able to complete my collection of! Wahoo!) The other is

by Lizzy House. I love her new line, but I still day dream of a collection!“

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practicalities

quilter’s guilt how to recognise, accept and overcome it

by Jane Kelly h yeah, quilter’s guilt is real, nothing surer. While ours is a wonderful, productive, creative hobby, it can still create feelings of guilt and angst as we battle WIPs, leaning towers of fabric and deadlines. While guilt is normal, it’s important to acknowledge it, and either accept it or take measures to overcome it. We look at some common types of quilter’s guilt and offer solutions.

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stash guilt This is the biggie. So much fabric, so little time. Buying fabric is one of the greatest joys of quilting, but it is incredibly easy to buy more than you need. Only the most disciplined among us buy only what they need for specific projects they’re working on right now, then process their scraps in a timely fashion.

I’m a big fan of accepting your stash. Fabric is the cornerstone of quilting, and if you’re going to make great quilts, you’re going to need a great selection of fabric. It’s very liberating to just love your stash and enjoy the fabric you’ve got. If you focus on buying fabric you love, that suits your personal style, and complements your existing collection, then you’ll be continuing to curate a great resource for your creativity. It doesn’t matter if you spend more on fabric than you do on clothes, if that’s what makes you happy.

If you really feel your stash is out of control, then destash it. Sell or give away the fabric you feel you’ll never use, or no longer love. Get your stash down to a collection of beautiful fabrics you adore, and then start fresh with a feeling of joy every time you look at your fabric. If your problem is hoarding treasured fabrics, then use them! Cut the ribbon on that favourite bundle and turn it into a quilt. If you love it as fabric, you’re going to love it even more when it’s snuggled around you as a quilt.

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curves ahead

ocean bricks

by Cheryl Brickey

his is a great first quilt pattern to try improvisational curved piecing. Improv curves are very forgiving and give a distinct look to the quilt while looking more difficult than they really are. Ocean Bricks has a value gradient down the length of the quilt to mimic the sea getting darker as you go deeper into the ocean.

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fabric fantastic

fussy cutting

by Angie Wilson

here’s an increasing interest in fussy cutting fabrics – AKA using fabric to its best advantage. Fussy cutting allows you to make the most of the designer’s intention and put every piece of fabric’s best foot forward. To explore this subject more, we went straight to one of the best fussy cutters we know – Angie of Gnome Angel.

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As a child the only thing I was fussy about was whether my peas touched my carrots on the dinner plate, then I grew up (physically, not necessarily mentally) and fell in love with quilting; now the only thing I’m fussy about is my cutting. You see, I’m a self-proclaimed fussy cutter and I’m not alone. When it comes to making the most of your fabrics through intentional cutting and piecing there’s a growing swell of quilters who love to fussy cut. I’m a firm believer that fussy cutting should be at the heart of everything you do when it comes to patchwork – if you’re going to spend the time, effort and money on something then why not have fun with it and use your materials to their best advantage.

what is fussy cutting?

Fussy cutting is where you cut your fabrics with intent, whether to use a particular motif and design or whether to take advantage of the colour placement in your fabrics. People normally associate fussy cutting with English Paper Piecing, but it’s not just limited to this one construction method. You can use fussy cutting in any patchwork project you make and you can do it in a number of ways. One of the things that I love about it is that it’s only limited by your imagination (and fabric stash!).

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vintage 2 modern

rainbow flying

fish

by Lisa Chambers

raditional blocks like this variation of the Lady of the Lake block get a new lease on life when they’re made with modern hues, like this rainbow of solids. The black background makes this quilt pop and because there are no sashings to distract, a very ‘fishy’ secondary pattern appears in the black background.

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meet the maker

bec proschogo Skyberries

by Jane Kelly

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ome of us fall into sewing randomly, others have it coursing through our DNA from the moment we’re conceived – Bec Proschogo of Skyberries is of the latter category. While she’s only been quilting a few years, her eye for colour, fabric and design brings great beauty to anything she gets her quilty hands on.

“My great grandmother was a court dressmaker in the 1920s and ‘30s and my Nanna (on the other side of the family) was rarely without some kind of textile project in her hands. I grew up wearing all the lovely jumpers she knitted and dresses she sewed,” Bec explains. “Making things is just a part of who I am. Always has been. And I guess you could say my journey as a quilter started with glue sticks and paper when I was a toddler. One creative pursuit just led to another until I was ready to conquer the sewing machine.”

The creative genes aren’t limited to the women in the family either. “My Dad was the one who taught me to use a sewing machine and various dress making skills (despite not being a sewist himself). Apparently pattern reading and clothes construction has a lot in common with metal fabrication – obviously!”

Bec began quilting almost five years ago but began sewing many years before that. “I used my sewing skills for clothes construction and making little things like bags, pillows and soft toys for the better part of a decade. I wanted to make a quilt - and even collected some quilting magazines - but I was scared of the precision I assumed was required to get all those little joins to match up.”

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issue nine