Inspirational Sunday (28) - via the 2013 International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

After finishing my modern baby quilt this week, I feel like continuing with the modern vibe for this week's inspirational post.  There are several modern quilts from the show that I haven't shared yet, so here are half.  I will share the last few next week.

This first one is called "Cantilevers" by Jessica Levitt of Bridgewater, New Jersey.  It is machine pieced and free-motion machine quilted.  The design source was a trio of windows on a building.

Jessica says, "I wanted to repeat the design elements of the windows in a structured way, but not in a traditional block format.  A longer element originates off the edges of the quilt.  Thus they are cantilevers that extend onto the quilt surface.  I chose to use vibrant solid fabrics in crisp, modern colors to echo a sparse modern building element.  I also used slight variations in the shades of both the background and the bars to add interest.  The background quilting adds movement and contrast to the straight-lined piecing."

And look!  She used my favorite swirl design for the quilting!

The next quilt is called "Zinnia" by Lynn Harris of Chelsea, Michigan.  It is machine quilted.

Lynn says, "The quilt (design and colors) was inspired by a photo I took of zinnias growing in our garden a few years ago.  The quilting is a bit "organic" in nature.  It is made up of many rows of parallel wavy lines.  With its simple, asymmetrical design on a solid gray [back]ground, this quilt fits with the modern quilt theme."

This design sure would be a great way to use up some orphan HST's!  And I like the wavy quilting.

The next quilt is called "Tilework" by Elizabeth Harvatine of Toluca Lake, California.  It is pieced.  (Don't you just love some of these descriptions?).  The design was inspired by her fabric selection.

She says, "The fabric colors have a calming, soothing feel to them and I wanted to design something clean and precise to balance that feeling.   The color scheme is modern and unusual but still pleasing to the eye."

This last one is called "Broken Plaid" by Alissa Carlton of Los Angeles, California.  It is pieced and machine quilted.  The design was inspired by her ongoing exploration of non-block based quilt design and the look of weaving with piecing.

She says, "Broken Plaid reflects the modern quilting movement in its use of negative space, color choices and bold graphic design.  The impact given by the piecing design is enhanced with the straight line quilting that maintains the plaid concept of the piecing."

I like how the quilting lines make a plaid-like texture on the quilt.

I just finished Jacquie Gerings new Craftsy class "Creative Quilting With Your Walking Foot".  It was pretty darn good!  I'm anxious to try out some of the methods she discusses to get these more modern looks in my quilting.  You would think they would be rather simple, but there is actually a bunch of preparation and accuracy needed.  Jacquie does a great job teaching you what it takes, and she is a fun/funny instructor too.

Have you tried any of the "straight-line" quilting techniques on your quilts?

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Inspirational Sunday (18) - via the 2013 International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

As promised, this week's selection of quilts are all about color!  You may want to grab some sunglasses.

Starting off with this quilt called, "Pixelated Color Wheel" by Kati Spencer of Taylorsville, UT.  It is machine pieced and quilted.

She says, "I used approximately 150 different colors of solid cotton fabric.  My initial intention with this quilt wasn't to perfectly recreate the color wheel, but rather to place fabrics in such a way that created interest while providing the overall view of the color wheel.  The design itself was very organic as I simply began with the central white squares and began arranging all other colors radiating from that point, moving from light to dark.  The use of color, quilting and solid fabrics create a simple yet interesting piece that has become a well-received quilt in the modern quilting community."

I'm not sure if I have 150 different solids yet, but I like the idea of creating a quilt using her method.

The next quilt is called "Circus Stars" by Teresa Justice of Rock Hill, SC.  It is machine pieced, big stitch hand quilted.

"Using a traditional Kaleidoscope block, I wanted to create an explosion of colors on a black and white background.  The colors, movement in the stars and illusions of white and black rings all brought to mind the traditional American circus.  I designed a border that reminded me of circus tents and added quilted rings to the border representing the three-ring circus format."

If an explosion of color is what she was going for, I think she attained it.  Isn't it just "WOW"?

This next quilt is called, "The 48 Pound Quilt" by Tanya Finken of Saratoga Springs, UT.  It is pieced and free-motion quilted.  The modern cross or modern plus sign inspired this design.

She says, "This was my quilt for the Kona Solids Challenge.  We were given a Kona Brights Charm Pack and challenge to use these and other solids to produce a quilt.  I have had  the pound symbols in my head for a while, so I chose to make my quilt with these.  I call it The 48 Pound Quilt because there are 42 pound symbols on the front, and six more hiding on the back."

Well, good thing it didn't weigh 48 pounds, right?  I doubt many kids now days would know what she meant by "pound" symbols since they call them hash tags" now thanks to social media.

This next quilt is called "Intersections" by Diane Melms of Anchorage Alaska.  It is an original design and machine pieced and quilted.

"In life we intersect and encounter many people and ideas.  This convergence makes our life richer as we learn from new experiences and input.  The choices we make color our life and create a patchwork, which becomes our life story."

I wonder what the patchwork of my life would look like.

Most of the quilts today have been rather "Modern", so the final quilt today is a bit more traditional, but still colorful.  It is called, "Spring Garden" by Susie Andersen, Margie Lambeth, and Margaret A. Phillips of Cos Cob, CT.  It is machine pieced and free-motion quilted.  It uses 16 patches and Sawtooth Stars for design.

The quilter's statement says simply, "This is the latest in my series of large quilts exploring color while using traditionally pieced designs."

Who knows what next week's selections will be?  Do you have any suggestions for themes?

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Inspirational Sunday (17) - via the 2013 International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

The quilts this week all have a similar color scheme, or lack of one, and yet are beautiful and interesting.

The first quilt is called "The Eternal City" by Kate Stiassni of New York, NY, quilted by Jackie Kunkel.  It is machine pieced and stitched.  Her design source was Ancient Rome.

She says, "Traveling to foreign cities and looking at buildings has been a source of imagery for a  number of my quilts.  The Eternal City is based on my explorations of the Roman Forum, a vast area that was the center of everyday life for Romans.  Soaring columns and outlines of foundations are ruins, and thus shadows of their former selves, but they communicate the magnitude of the original city.  I love being able to walk around them, imagining ancient civilizations.  The fact that these traces of the past coexist side by side with modern Italian life makes them that much more intriguing."

Another quilt inspired by architecture is called, "Building Bridges" by Jacquie Gering and Sheryl Schleicher of Chicago, IL.  It is improvisationally pieced, and matchstick quilted.  The design was inspired by bridge/trestle structures around the city of Chicago.

"Building Bridges was made after my move from Kansas City to Chicago.  I was starting a new phase of my life in a new place and this quilt reflects the challenges of a significant life change.  Building Bridges is my attempt to illustrate the need to connect my old life to my new one, but also to move forward in a new place."

I love how the absence of quilting in this area spells out Kansas City, as if it is a ghost of the past.  That matchstick quilting must have taken forever!

The next quilt is called "Gone" by Laura Bisagna of Winchester, CA.  It is hand appliqued, machine pieced and machine quilted.

Her statement, "After being evacuated from our home for about a week due to the thread of wildfires, I began searching the internet for any clues that would tell me whether or not our home had survived.  That's when I found an aerial photograph of our neighborhood that was taken after the fire had passed through.  I quickly discovered that our home was indeed gone.  This piece is an interpretation of that experience.  The plaid houses are made of material from matching pajama bottoms that my sister gave my husband and me for a wedding gift and which we packed in our suitcase upon evacuation.

I noticed this next quilt, and thought to myself, "I know I've seen that quilt somewhere before."   Sure enough, it is in the Quilting Modern book by Jacquie Gering.  I really enjoyed seeing it in person.  It is called, "Shattered" by Jacquie Gering and Angela Walters.  It is improvisationally pieced, and is an original design inspired by shattered glass.

Jacquie says, "Shattered was inspired by a break-in at my home.  A window was shattered, but still intact.  The shapes formed by the shatters inspired the design and my anger at the act is reflected in the dark colors I chose for the quilt."

Evidently man made structures and loss have a very bleak color scheme.  So, if these quilts have you down, good news....next week is all about color!  I hope you will join me next Sunday to see them.

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Inspirational Sunday (16) - via the 2013 International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

Today, I continue to share some paper pieced beauties from the show.  However, you won't see any New York Beauties or Mariner's Compass today.  Paper piecing is so versatile, it can be used by both modern and traditional quilters.

This first quilt is called "Trajectory" by Megan Dye of Portland, Oregon.  This original design is paper pieced and straight line quilted.

Oh, I want to make one!

The quilter's statement, "This quilt was inspired by the mid-century modern boomerang design motif.  For me, modern quilting is often a fresh interpretation of classic design.  The idea of a boomerang was appealing because it suggest this notion of coming full circle and returning to the original source.  The colors were chosen to reflect both a vintage and modern aesthetic and dense straight line quilting keeps the design simple and clean."

This next quilt is called "Bedazzled" by Lois Sprague of Oceanside, CA.  It is paper pieced and embellished.

"Based on a traditional Pineapple block, this quilt is considered a contemporary piece with its use of color, crystals and fabric beads.  My inspiration for this piece was the struggle to fit in and find my niche in the quilting world.  I realized I was neither traditional nor contemporary, but a combination of them both.

I bet most of us feel that way.

This next quilt is called "Carrie's Happy Birdday Quilt" by Phyllis (Peggie) Wormington and Russ Clelland of Rancho Palos Verdes, CA.  It features machine foundation piecing and machine quilting.  The design source is Margaret Rolfe's Origami Cranes.

The quilter's statement, "Our daughters Carrie and Tricia folded hundreds of these paper origami cranes when they were children.  When I saw this Margaret Rolfe pattern more than 10 years ago I knew I needed to make this quilt for each of them.  I redesigned the pattern for speed cutting and speed piecing and made two of these quilts in two months.  Carrie received this one on her 40th birthday."

I can only imagine how many different fabrics she used to make 2 of these quilts.

Do you paper piece?  Do you make traditional or modern designs? Or are you like Lois, and fancy yourself a bit in between?

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Inspirational Sunday (15) - via the 2013 International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

I've been working on a paper piecing project lately and it has inspired me to share a few paper pieced quilts from the show.

You can't really have a paper pieced segment without a Mariners Compass or a New York Beauty.....

This first quilt was a show stopper, and I'm not just saying that because these are my favorite colors.  I had to wait almost 20 minutes for the crowd to clear out enough to snap a few pictures of it.  It is called "Departure" by Kiyomi Takayanagi of Kitanagoya, Aichi, Japan.  It is hand and machine pieced, hand appliqued, hand embroidered, and hand quilted.  It won 1st place in the Traditional Pieced category.

It was an original design using Mariner's Compass; inspired by a Noriko Masui workshop.  The quilter says, "I made this quilt for my son.  He has a job and was about to marry when I completed this quilt.  I hope that they will be happy."

Check out some of that hand embroidery.

Just gorgeous!

This quilt is called "Sheila's Garden" by Tina Curran of Studio City, CA.  She machine pieced and quilted this New York Beauty pattern.  The outline of the spikes is inspired by the work of Karen K. Stone.

She says, "This quilt uses the time honored New York Beauty pattern, so called as the spires are reminiscent of the spires on the crown on the Statue of Liberty.  The background fabric in each block is green to suggest foliage.  All other fabrics in the quilt are florals, hence there are nearly 150 different floral fabrics used in this quilt.  That's quite a garden!"

That is one way to use up all those floral fabrics you might have laying around!

Here is another quilt that I am assuming had some paper piecing as part of the construction method.  It is part of the Hoffman Challenge, and unfortunately they don't provide the same level of information in the description of the quilts in the challenge as the rest of the show.

It is called  "Spilling Over" by Sharon L. Schlotzhauer of Colorado Springs, CO.  It won 1st place in the Mixed category.

I apologize for the following picture being a bit out of focus, but I wanted to include it anyway since you can see some of the tiny blocks she created in the center section pouring out of the cup.  You can spot the churn dash for sure, some flying geese, an economy block, etc.

I hope you enjoyed this week's selection of quilts.  I have a few more paper pieced wonders to show you next week that are completely different styles from the quilts above.  I hope you will come back and check them out.

Also don't forget to enter my New Year's giveaway of a free Craftsy quilting class!  Time is almost up to enter.

Thanks for reading,

Jen

"Happy Things" Art with the kids - Inspirational Sunday

It's been a while since I showed you some of the art projects that Ashley and I completed through the art program at her school this year.

For those of you who are new readers to the blog, I volunteer at my daughter's school as an art teacher.  Art was taken out of the curriculum due to budgetary issues and it is only through PTA funding and parent volunteers that our kids have art now.  We only have 6 projects each year, and I shared them with you last year and want to share this year's projects too.  I find these projects very inspirational, even though not all of them can be applied to the quilting arts.  Just search the label "art with kids" on the bottom right for last year's projects.  OR you can go to the official South Bay Hands on Art Blog.

Now just because I volunteer as a docent, does NOT mean that I am any good.  But as I said, I do find the lessons inspirational and I hope you will too.

The project I am going to share with you today was based on the work of Romero Britto.   We were instructed to think of something that made us happy and try to draw a rough sketch of it.  We then segmented the page and colored it in with different bright colors.  The kids really enjoyed this project because of the bright colors and the coloring with pastels.

The dividing of the page, makes me think of the stack and slash methods out there.  It would be cool to try to figure out a way to make a quilt like that with an actual picture of something and not have the seam allowances mess it up.  I suppose it would depend highly on the picture.

The beach makes me happy, so that is what I drew.

But I think Ashley's "good thing" makes me even happier, especially since I received it as part of my Mother's Day gift this year.

So sweet!  Next week, I will show you our attempts at Picasso.

Speaking of painting like Picasso and in other art news, Craftsy announced yesterday that they are adding a Fine Art category of classes to their library.  There are several classes, but I think I might try out the Perspectives in Landscape Drawing class.  Who knows, I might want to start with just trying to draw a little every day.  I hear people really improve themselves just by doing that simple thing.

I've also been listening to a bunch of podcasts lately.  I'm a regular subscriber to Katie's Quilting Corner, but also recently found Quilting for the Rest of Us, and Hip to Be Square.  Do you know of any other good AND current ones?  I found some good ones, but they stopped podcasting or haven't had an episode in a really long while.  I am in the car a ridiculous amount of time during the day, driving the kiddos around to their activities.  Seriously!  So much time, I now have a "trucker tan", one arm and one side of my neck are a different color than the other sides.  I found audio books would make me zone out a little too much, but quilty podcasts are just right!  So tell me which ones you like and why.

Thanks for reading,

Jen

Quilt Retro - book review - Inspiration Sunday

Today's book review is on Quilt Retro by Jenifer Dick.    I actually won my copy when I completed a quilt for the Hands 2 Help charity quilt drive back in the summer.  I was pleasantly surprised by the fun patterns I found inside.


Why do I like this book?

• The title says "Retro" but the 11 patterns in the book have a modern flair.  This is aided by the quilting patterns (some by Angela Walters), which are beautiful.
• There are 6 quilt patterns, 3 table runners and 2 smaller projects.  All fun, all different.
• The skills built in this book mostly have to do with machine applique and a lot of time is spent explaining her process so you can achieve similar results.  
• Bonus tips and hints are in the book - including some talk about color theory (my favorite tip in this section is "when in doubt, go with blue".  She has a laid back approach to her quilting and it makes you feel relaxed about trying out her projects.

There are also some additional skills that I wasn't necessarily expecting in this book:

• Choosing a quilt pattern that is either representative, contrasting, or matches the "feel" of the quilt
• A pieced binding technique to match up to sections of the quilt (this one I would really like to try)
• One other little bonus - FULL sized templates.  I didn't realize what a pain it is to enlarge things until I did a couple blocks from another book.

The project I can't wait to try...

• Outside My Kitchen Window - this is the quilt featured on the front cover above.  So simple, yet beautiful.
• Handyman - such a great pattern for MEN.  Luckily, I know several.

Do I recommend it?  

• Well......yes and no.  I think the price tag of this book is a bit high for 11 projects, especially when compared to some of the other books I've reviewed.  In fact, even on sale on Amazon, it is the most expensive of the books I've reviewed.  I honestly feel you will get more for your money buying one of Elizabeth Hartman's books or the Quilting Modern book.  Now, if you see this one on sale for about $1 a pattern, then I would recommend it, especially if you are at all interested in learning machine applique and want some fun projects to try out that skill.

Jenifer Dick blogs at 42Quilts.com. She has an ongoing feature on her blog of doing a different traditional block and a modern block every week, called Traditional Tuesday and Modern Monday.  These features seem to be the focus of her blog right now, BUT if you click on her page called "Quilt Retro Launch Party" you can actually see most of the projects in this book.


I hope you enjoyed this book review.  And speaking of Angela Walters, after receiving so many comments about free motion quilting and her book, I finally ordered it for myself!  I've only just started reading it, but I hope to write a review of her book soon!

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Peacock Pride - art with the kids

For those of you who are new readers to the blog, I volunteer at my daughter's school as an art teacher.  Art was taken out of the curriculum due to budgetary issues and it is only through PTA funding and parent volunteers that our kids have art now.  We only have 6 projects each year, and I shared them with you last year and want to share this year's projects too.  I find these projects very inspirational, even though not all of them can be applied to the quilting arts.  Just search the label "art with kids" on the bottom right for last year's projects.  OR you can go to the official South Bay Hands on Art Blog!  Something I just discovered today.

My first attempt

Our first project this year was called "Proud as a Peacock" and is a project inspired by James Whistler's Peacock Room.  After introducing Whistler and his work, the students were asked to draw a peacock onto sandpaper using pastel crayons.  We went step by step, starting with ovals, then working out to the feathers.  The students LOVE the art lessons.

Here is my daughter with her peacock.

Even though you can't see her huge smile, she is proud as a peacock of her art.

So who wants to make a peacock mug rug?

I teach our next class on December 13th, a project inspired by Hannah Frank.

Jen

Quilting Modern - Inspirational Sunday book review

For today's Inspirational Sunday, I am reviewing Quilting Modern by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pederson.  If you remember, I listed this one as one of my new favorites during my stop on the Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop.

Why do I like this book?

• The quilt patterns are great.  I mean with a title like Quilting Modern, you better get some cool quilting patterns right?  I referenced this book several times while quilting my Totally Groovy quilt above (can you tell?).  There are several pages covering straight-line quilting, curved quilting, free-motion quilting, the use of decorative stitches, and quilting on a long arm (if you are inclined).  There are fabulous photographs showing many of the motifs discussed, plus a few that they don't.  They also give some great tips on how to choose a quilting motif for your modern quilts.
• I just love the projects in this book!  21 in all, and at least half of them are on my "want to do" list.  They also include smaller projects like pillows and place mats to try out the techniques.  I appreciate that as time is limited sometimes.
• The skills built in this book mostly have to do with improvisational piecing, something I think anyone can accomplish without too much difficulty and get fantastic results.  "Slice and Insert", "Stitch and Flip", and Improvisational Curves are also presented with projects for each technique. Angled and strip piecing are also discussed.
• Bonus tips and hints throughout the book - including how to sew an invisible zipper closure for pillows and 3 or 4 different ways to make a design wall for your studio.

Doesn't it seem like you get a lot in this book??

I also enjoyed reading their philosophy:

• Honor the Past
• Release Your Inner Artist
• Embrace Serendipity
• Fail
• Savor the Moment
• Make a Friend
• Free Yourself

I won't copy what they wrote about each point, but the failure one really hit home, "Improvisation is about trial and error.  Cherish every mistake or misstep as a learning opportunity.  Many of us don't start out of fear that we won't succeed.  We recommend failing right from the start.  Get it out of the way and move forward."  -- Great advice, don't you think?  

I think I have mastered failing right from the start!  But, they are right in that some people need to make mistakes in order to learn.  I am definitely in that category and I think you can tell by reviewing my projects chronologically.

Do I recommend it?  

• Yes!  Even if you aren't into modern quilting, this book has a lot to offer.  If you are into modern quilting, then it is a must have!

The project I can't wait to try...

• The Illusions Quilt - I want to make it in aquas, although the black and white is very appealing also (and goodness knows I have a lot of those in my stash at the moment).
• Tipsy City Quilt - so colorful!

Jacquie Gering blogs at Tallgrass Prairie Studio - check out her digital portfolio for pictures of many of the projects from this book, including the Illusions Quilt, and many more inspirational patterns.

Katie Pedersen blogs at Sew Katie Did - check out her Tutorials page.  She has some great ones, and links to some of her favorite tutorials found on the web too.

I hope you enjoyed this book review.  I'm going to go leaf through the pages one more time and perhaps make a plan to get that Illusions quilt started!

Thanks for reading today,

Jen

Modern Patchwork book review - Inspirational Sunday

Welcome back to Inspirational Sunday.  Today I continue with my book review mini-series by looking at Elizabeth Hartman's second book, Modern Patchwork.

Modern Patchwork builds off of the basics discussed in her first book, Practical Guide to Patchwork, which I reviewed last Sunday here.

Why do I like this book?

• It is just as well written as her first book and has just as lovely photos
• I just love the projects in this book!  Unlike, Practical Guide to Patchwork, which has 2 projects I am interesting in trying, in THIS book I want to make at least 7 of the 12 patterns presented!
• Each project has 2 fabric alternatives, which really give you a sense for what each pattern is capable of becoming in your hands
• The skills built in this book include more complex piecing and quilting patterns, semi-improvisational piecing, angled cuts, machine applique, loops and curved piecing.
• Again, she includes instructions for striking quilt backs, which I find lovely!

New things I learned:

• How to build a design wall
• How to make a pressing board (if I wanted to)
• When choosing fabrics, especially coordinating solids, sometimes it is more interesting to have a slightly different color instead of an exact match.
• More organizational tips!
• tips for dealing with skinny sashing

Do I recommend it?  

• Yes!  If you like modern quilting, I bet you will enjoy this book very much.  Her patterns are amazing and she encourages you to try new things.  The patterns in this book are definitely a bit more challenging than her first book, but not so difficult that an intermediate beginner would have trouble.

The project I can't wait to try?

• Owl Eyes!  I just love the look of this quilt.  I admit I am a little intimidated by the amount of applique, but it is a striking quilt!

Elizabeth also has a blog of her own, Oh Fransson!, with lots of patterns and tips.  She is currently revisiting some of the projects in her two books, trying to make them a little differently.  Several of her latest attempts were from Modern Patchwork.

Elizabeth is also teaching a FREE online class on Craftsy called "Creative Quilt Backs".  I took the class and highly recommend it!  She has great tips for piecing together your backs (some of which could be used for other parts of your quilts), and for sandwiching your quilts together.  Did I mention that it is FREE?  And that I recommend it?  I do!  If you haven't taken a class at Craftsy, let this one be the first.  The class is broken up into several videos, so you don't have to watch the whole class at once.  You can even pause and resume a section if you are like me and half way through a video you realize it is time to go to bed.

Have you tried out any of the projects in Modern Patchwork?  How did it go?

I hope you will join me next Sunday when I review another book in my collection.  Now, which one will it be??

Thank you for reading!

Jen

PGP Book Review - Inspirational Sunday

Welcome back to Inspirational Sunday.  We can all find inspiration in many places.  In the past on Sundays, I have shown you pictures of beautiful quilts that have inspired me at quilt shows.  Since not everyone has access to these shows, I hope you found some of the photos inspirational.  Today, I would like to begin a series of book reviews.  Books, I find, are a more common source of inspiration, and nearly everyone has access to them.

I would like to start off by reviewing Elizabeth Hartman's, Practical Guide to Patchwork.  I will admit that this book was not in my collection until recently.  When I signed up to participate in Plum and June's "Let's Get Acquainted Blog Hop" and started reading the posts of other participants, this book seemed to be on everyone's favorite list.  That made me very curious, so I used a coupon at my local Joann's and got the book.

Why is it everyone's favorite?

• It is well written and has gorgeous photos
• It covers ALL the basics, from supplies, planning your quilt, organizing yourself, and construction including quilting and binding
• 12 quilt projects with a modern flair help build your skills
• each project has 2 fabric alternatives to highlight options
• Skills include strip piecing, the "stack, cut & shuffle" method, foundation piecing, machine applique, even yo-yo's and more.
• She includes instructions for striking quilt backs

Why I liked it and things I learned:

• little tips on nearly every page are very helpful
• stitching in the ditch, defeats the purpose of showing off your quilting (well, duh!)
• she actually shows you how to do the mitered corners on the back of your binding - you would be surprised how often this step is simply left to one's imagination
• a knot-less start for handwork (if only there was a knot-less finish as well)

Do I recommend it?  

• Yes!  I found her section on the basics very well written and easy to follow.  Her instructions are likewise easy to understand, and her projects are striking.   I think this book would be the perfect gift for a new quilter, or the final push for someone who has been tempted to start quilting!

The project I can't wait to try?

• The Valentine quilt!  I would so like to show you a picture of this one, but I fear it may violate some law of sort.  It is a beautiful and colorful quilt that uses foundation piecing of strips to create colorful squares.  It is possible that I might have enough scrap strips by the summer to try out this beautiful quilt.

Next week, I plan to review Elizabeth's other book, Modern Patchwork.  I admit this is MY favorite between the two.  I hope you will join me next Sunday.

Elizabeth also has a blog of her own, Oh Fransson!, with lots of patterns and tips.  She is currently revisiting some of the projects in her two books, trying to make them a little differently.

Have you tried out any of the projects in Practical Guide to Patchwork?  How did you like them?

Thank you for reading!

Jen

Inspiration Sunday (10) - via the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

I can't believe we are on our tenth post from the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach!

:( Unfortunately, I am out of pictures, so this will be my last post from this particular quilt show.  DON'T WORRY, though!  I like bringing you inspirational things on Sundays, so until I go to another quilt show, I think the next few Sunday's will be book reviews.  I have accumulated a bunch of quilt books lately, and some have been well worth the money, and others not so much.  I know, I know..."Blah, blah, blah, get to the pictures, lady!"

Here they are:

This one is called "Floral Flipper" by Lana Sundheim of Boseman, MT.

Besides being a very striking fish, this quilt interested me because of the way she used batiks as a background.

I have a few batiks in my stash and I am always unsure of how to use them.  I like this idea of piecing them together in a graduated manner for the background.  Oh, and those bubbles and seaweed - painted onto the fabric.  Cool!

Here is another example of brilliantly pieced fabric - one of my favorites of the show - called, "Cypress Sentinels by Mary Ann Hildebrand of Comfort, Texas.  It is "scrunched fabric", paper pieced, fused applique, and overlayed.  I think I saw this quilt at the Road to California show last January too, and I stared at it for a while back then too!

I think I like this quilt because it reminds me of the swamps of Northern Florida near where I went to college.  Beautiful.

Just look at that piecing - amazing!!!

Here is another quilt that pieces fabric together nicely, "Spring Blossoms by Terry Aske of New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada.  It is machine pieced and free motion quilted.

I just love the one little strip of tree fabric to make it look like a row of trees in the distance.

Here is a one block wonder by Cathie Ugrin of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, called, "I know where summer goes".  It never ceases to amaze me that one of these quilts makes it into every quilt show I attend.  Now, that isn't really the amazing part.  The amazing part is how great this technique can look with the right fabric.  Obviously, the two I have made, did NOT, use the right fabric!

Finally, this quilt called "Empire Star" by Anna Faustino of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania.  It is painted, woven, couched, printed, embellished, and machine quilted.  Evidently she uses a weaving technique in most of her quilts to give the impression of a traditionally pieced quilt.

I don't know about you, but sign me up for that class!  The results are stunning!


Sometimes I hear people say, "what's old is new", meaning that some of the old techniques are being rediscovered and become popular all over again.  Here is a quilt with the ancient art of Sashiko.  Something that was part of my Handstitched class this summer, and a project that I still haven't gotten to yet, but really want to!  It is called "Sashiko I"  by Helene Blanchet of Calgary, Alberta and features twenty traditional varied Japanese patterns!

Those stitches are so amazingly even!  Hmm, makes me want to dig out those Sashiko coasters that have been put aside and give it a try.

Well, which one did you find most inspiring?

Jen

Inspirational Sunday (9) - via the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach

Today's post includes a bunch of landscape quilts.  I am always fascinated by landscape quilts and would really like to try one one day.  You know, when all my other WIP's are finished up!  HA!

This first one probably could have been part of last Sunday's post with modern quilts.  It is called, "Road to Home" by Sheryl Sleboda of Plainfield, Illinois.  She hand appliqued, machine quilted, and hand beaded this beauty.

Another landscape with a modern vibe is "Lovely Day" by Linda Evans of Murrieta, California.  It is machine pieced and appliqued.

I just love those wispy clouds!

Here is a more "traditional" looking landscape called "Beside the Still Waters" by Pat Durbin of Eureka, California.  It is pieced, threadpainted, painted, and machine quilted.  It is inspired by a place called Stone Lagoon.

I really love the clouds close to the horizon, and if you look closely, you can see all the different fabrics that went into the grassy area in the foreground.  Amazing.

I love sunsets.  Every time we go to Hawaii, I end up filling my camera's memory card with pictures of the sunset.  These two quilts are called, "Day and Night" by Grace Errea of Laguna Niguel, California.  Well, actually, one is called, "Creamsicle Dawn" and the other "Popsicle Sunset", together they are "Day and Night".  They are machine appliqued and needleturned appliqued.

I noticed that several of the landscape quilts I took pictures of were made by quilters in California.  Is it because I was drawn to the quilts that looked familiar or is it because California is just so picturesque that one can't help but make a quilt out of the beauty you see?

What do you think?

Jen