Happenings

Half the fun of blogging and being a part of the online quilting community is the joining in. And May seems to be full of opportunities! Here's what I've got my eye on:

My friend Darcy/Modern Cozy is starting a Mini Quilt Monday link-up next week! I do love a mini, so I'll definitely be participating as I can. Darcy is kind of a master at minis - and I'm pleased as can be to have one of hers hanging in my studio. Check out some of her minis here.

Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day is May 6! This bi-annual event is always great fun and I'm mulling over what to give away this round. Plus there's more options than ever - you can post on your blog, facebook page, or Instagram. Watch for hashtag #SMSgiveawayday, and check in here and at Sew Mama Sew next week to see all the giveaways!

Next is the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side. Another bi-annual event, it's a wonderful way to show off one or two of your quilts as well as see oodles from your fellow makers. There's 11 different categories and you shouldn't miss joining in.

So how are YOU joining in?

Random

A few weeks ago, Kira Bell of the Emerald Coast Modern Quilt Guild asked if she could share a photo of my quilt Unknown Journey.

At their guild meetings, they have a feature called "Modern Minutes: What makes this quilt modern?" She wanted to share my quilt, and here's what she had to say about it: Debbie Jeske used improvisational piecing and created a new fabric using solids in different colors of green. Then she cut this newly created fabric to make her ‘pathways’ or sticks. Large areas of negative space surround the ‘pathways’ that travel across her quilt. Very linear quilting and a binding in the same color as the background also help keep the visual focus on the ‘pathways’.
It's fun to actually define modern elements in quilts now and then, isn't it? The guild has created a Modern Quilts and Why Pinterest board, if you want to see more.

I keep meaning to tell you about how I managed to get snaps on my Noodlehead Cargo Duffle.

You may recall I had issues with the snaps I had purchased, so when my guild-mate Matt/@odditease offered to help me at our meeting that week, I took him up on his offer. He brought this tool and snaps, along with a small hammer. In no time he gave me a quick demo and we installed those snaps! So hopefully I can manage it myself next time.

Jacey/jaceycraft shared a mini-tutorial of her HST + 1 block, a block I'm sure I've seen in projects before, but had never really thought through. Click over to her post to see the deets as well as how these blocks will look in a finished quilt - terrific, I'd say, and definitely on my list to try.


Now go check out Louise/I'm Feelin' Crafty's placemats! Click here to see each one close up. Aren't they gorgeous? I love how they're all different, but so modern, and they coordinate so nice together! Wouldn't they make mealtime fun?


I wanted to show you a quilt that was shared by Aneela Hooey/comfortstitching not long ago. When Aneela shared she was dealing with cancer last year, Chelsea/pins and bobbins put a call out on Instagram for 'X' and 'O' blocks to make a quilt for Aneela. We used this tutorial by Canoe Ridge Creations, and here's the post Aneela wrote about the quilt. I think it's a pretty sweet quilt to make to encourage someone.

Another quilt I thought you'd enjoy is one finished by my former Mid-Century Modern bee-mate Carla/Lollyquiltz. It's her Juicy Fruit quilt made from a variety of sized churn dash blocks. Isn't it something? Here's Carla's original instructions - a 12" block made with 4 - 6" blocks. I remember being wow-ed by her palette! We made blocks for her in 2 different rounds - the first we used just pink and orange, and in the second we added in yellow and white. There's something about this quilt I really love!

Whew! I think that's plenty of randomness for today! Who knew I had so much to share?!

arbitrary

About time for some randomness, no?

First off, you probably saw the sketchbook cover I showed off the other day. I used this Journal Cover tutorial, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Yet I happened upon another tutorial (thanks Blue.Ridge.Girl!) by  Bloomin' Workshop, which has the added features of bound edges and rounded corners. I think it's good to have options, and would highly recommend both tutorials if you're so inclined to make a cover too.

And speaking of options, the paper-pieced Hack Slash block by badskirt that started off my sketchbook cover is now available as a traditional pieced block as well. (Thanks Amy!) I'm kinda crushing on this block right now!

Boy things are just leading one to another today! My guild-mate, Allison of Allison Sews shared a new-to-me technique for freezer paper piecing this week. She makes it look simple and neat and definitely worth trying next time I paper piece. I even have the suggested Add-A-Quarter ruler around here somewhere!

photo by Allison Sews

Have you heard about Heidi/Fabric Mutt's Sew the Library sew along and linky party? I find I often use my craft books for inspiration or technique and then go off on my own. Others, though, you've known me to sew from beginning through to the end. Either way, they are a treasure trove for sure. If you've sewn from your library lately, consider joining in!

  

Lastly, I randomly (right?) posted my Quiltyness Pinterest board on my facebook page last week, and it got shared around quite a bit, so I thought I'd mention it here. I go there often for inspiration and even just to soak up the beauty created by our quilting community. Another of my favorite boards is my Quilt BLOCKS board, where I stash blocks I want to try or even blocks I've made - just to remember.

 

Anyway, there's some stuff I've enjoyed lately and wanted to share with you. Happy Friday!

R.A.N.D.O.M.

Even though Live a Colorful Life's Really Random Thursday hasn't happened in a while, I still always think of it on Thursdays. And today I actually have some randomness to share, so I figured why not?

Hopefully you caught Christa Quilts' post showing off the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase at the upcoming International Quilt Festival? Very fun! After seeing this impressive collection, I'm even more thrilled that my Fissures was included.

photo credit, Christa Watson

Here's the blurb about the exhibit from the show's online catalog:

The Modern Quilt Guild Showcase 2014

Sponsored by Aurifil USA, Inc.

Modern quilting is a new twist on the traditional art of quilting, and is rapidly gaining interest

from the next wave of quilters. Members from chapters of Modern Quilt Guilds around the

world were invited to submit their works for this popular annual exhibit.

While perusing the Quilts.com site, I came across the results of the Quilting in America 2014 survey. A few stats . . .

• 10.3% of U.S. households (12.62 million) are home to at least one active quilter
• 30% own more than 4 machines
• 86% access the Internet daily
• 12.2% of quilting households are considered “dedicated,” responsible for generating 60% of quilt industry 

You can see the complete summary here. I think you'll be surprised at some of it!
          From the Quilting in America™ 2014 Survey presented by F+W, A Content + eCommerce Company

The Blogger's Quilt Festival is well underway, and hasn't it been something seeing all those awesome quilts? Just a couple of days left to add your entries. I had high hopes of finishing and entering my current project, but the quilting's been slow-going, so I'll be content with my one entry, and just sit back and enjoy the show.

And as the BQF is winding down next week, Handmade Holidays at Sew, Mama, Sew will be going gung ho. Every day in November, there will be tutorials, printables and recipes to help you create a Handmade Holiday. Here's a link to lists for previous years - all sorts of holiday goodness! And more to come.

Just a reminder that my A Quilter's Table facebook page is always a good place to find some randomness. I post whatever strikes my fancy, most recently daughter dear's x and + quilt, the latest from shecanquilt, and a fun {and random!} way to hang mini quilts from pieceful life. Check it out! 

This and That

With all sorts of sewing retreat opportunities popping up around the country, I was intrigued to hear about one held totally online! Apparently, “The Sewing Party” is the first ever online-all-day DIY event in history!
"On November 8, 2014, thousands of DIY-ers will gather for a fun-filled day of sewing and crafting classes taught online by leading bloggers and educational experts. It’s all about Connecting. Crafting. And Creating." And isn't that what it's all about for DIY-ers like you and me?!

I've already got a guild retreat planned for that weekend (kind of ironic, no?) but are any of you considering attending The Sewing Party? Attendees will have access to more than 30 online classes available on the day of the event and for an additional 90 days, which is a nice feature. Classes include home décor, fashion sewing, quilting, upcycling, crafting, costume design, techniques for turning your craft into an business and more. I kinda love that it's for all sorts of creative types, and since most of us do more than one type of crafting, even better. Here's a link to the classes and the educators if you want to know more.

If you're on Instagram, no doubt you've seen all the posts touting the new KONA cotton solids. How big is the color card going to be now?? Do you have a favorite? Here's a few that have caught my eye so far.

I happened across Robert Kaufman's Kona Cotton Solids board on Pinterest - definitely worth a glance!

So how are you with circles? Aren't they just more popular than ever? I've done my share, but still am not 100% comfortable with them, so I read the latest installment of Decipher Your Quilt with great interest. Do you follow the series by she can quilt and Elven Garden Quilts? Check it out, as it's full of helpful and useful quilty math info.

And lastly for today, I just have to share a lovely project I came across yesterday. It's by Carly of Citric Sugar, and I must say, I'm just smitten with these placemats! The shot cottons and chambray, the method, the palette with that pop of orange, the quilting, the MATCHED BINDING! Yeah, I pretty much love it all.

photo by Citric Sugar, used by permission

Do go read Carly's blog post about them and see more of what I'm talking about. Seriously, I'm not sure I could push away from the table if I had placemats like these, ha.

That's it! Hope you have a terrific day . . .

On Thoughtful Stashing

Earlier this week I read a convicting post by Rossie/Fresh Modern Quilts on "What to Stash". She referred back to a series of 2011 posts by Jeni/In Color Order on "The Art of Choosing," specifically the post on Building a Well Rounded Stash. It didn't quite ring true for Rossie, who discovered that "personally [she didn't] need a well-rounded stash" and I encourage you to read her post to see what she has to say about that, as it's thoughtfully written.

For me, I find both posts were imminently helpful. When I read Jeni's original post, I was a new blogger with pretty much no stash at all. I had been quilting for years, but rarely purchased fabric that wasn't for a very specific project. And I had just discovered the modern quilting movement, so whatever bits of fabric I had left from my projects were not quite what the bloggers I was getting acquainted with were using. As I got more involved in the online quilting community, I began joining swaps and bees and such. And I soon realized that I needed to build a stash, and a modern one at that. So slowly, over the next 18 months or so, following Jeni's advice and watching others, I built that stash that allowed me to pretty much always have something suitable on hand whatever project or sewing whim presented itself. For the first time ever, I had a rainbow of prints to choose from, and solids even! And linen!

Fast forward 3 years, to a place where that well rounded stash has served me very well indeed. I pretty much quit "building" a while ago and as Rossie suggests, am more "maintaining." When I'm running low on certain solids or Essex or text prints, I get more, because I know those are standbys for me, and I'll need them to do what I do. Which brings me to Rossie's basic guidelines for herself which she kindly gave me permission to share:

I'm not suggesting that her rules should necessarily apply to you, me, or anyone else but her. But I do think the whole subject is worth some thoughtful consideration. And even though I'm working on the "admire, don't acquire" bit, I was also touched by something Molli Sparkles shared in his post yesterday, where as an intentional challenge to himself he joined a fabric swap for fabric that didn't really grab him. And after working with it, he found he loved it! So yeah, sometimes I, too, purchase fabric just to see what all the fuss is about. Or because a certain grouping just is so nicely done. Or, yes, just because fabric therapy is a real thing and I need some. But I also want to be attentive to what I have already gathered - because it's helped bring me to where I am - and I can trust it to serve me well going forward.

So give it some thought. I'm pretty sure happy medium wins again.

Miscellany

There are 2 more finished Postcard Quilts to show off! First up is one from mimi'sdarlins who says, "Each of my postcards represents a vacation or special event, so for me this has become a memory quilt." How cool is that?

And from Katrin/makatrin . . .

Isn't that sweet? Did you notice the stamp detailing on some of her postcards?

Very fun. There's more progress happening in The Postcard Quilt Along flickr group. 

Random: My original Postcard Quilt was shared along with a bunch of other terrific projects over on Sew Thankful Sunday by The Crafty Quilter. Fun to see it out and about.

And the headliner over on Instagram - I hit 1700 followers! wow. I mean wow.

Thanks to Pink Chalk Fabrics for sponsoring a celebratory giveaway. Just follow me {aquilterstable} over on Instagram if you don't already, and comment on the "1700" post for a chance to win. I'll pick a random winner on Friday.

Spiraled Jungle on the Ave. and Other Randomness

The Postcard Quilt Along is well under way! 41 members strong, I see new blocks posted every day! Here's an exotic finish by Ellyn/ellyn's place. Aren't those Hawaiian prints perfect as postcards? Here's Ellyn's post about her mini.

If you are into barn quilts, I added more photos to my flickr album here. We were driving home from Eastern Washington last weekend, and hubby saw this one from the freeway.

After stopping for lunch, we hunted it down, plus a few others on "Washington State's First Barn Quilt Trail" There's actually an online map, if you're ever in the area: Barn Quilts of Kittitas County. There are still some we haven't seen yet, so maybe next time.

Did you hear about the Facing East Quilt Along with CityStitches? It's based on a pattern by Carolyn Friedlander in her new book, Savor Each Stitch (also on Amazon). The book is getting rave reviews, and I am happy to say my copy just arrived!

Finally getting to the title of this post! My Spiraled Jungle quilt made it into Sara Lawson's lookbook for her new fabric line, Jungle Ave.! I know this is SO not about me, but I certainly was tickled by it. What a fun and versatile line.

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Oh, and by the way, is it me, or did flickr just get better? I can't even define what the changes are but it sure does seem more user-friendly. I'm glad cuz I miss it being a good place to be.

Random It Is

Just a few random things to share today . . . 

The first up, which I unfortunately don't have a photo of, was that I was asked to share last night at our guild meeting about my matched binding techniques. Speaking in front of people isn't in my comfort zone, but I did it. It was late, we were all anxious to get to "sew & tell," but I did it. Thankfully I had a few small samples to share - my first try, Scrap-Vee, and Red Hots. Plus, the quilts that had been displayed at Seattle's Folklife Festival were back, so I was able to share Aurora. I do find that I speed-talk when I talk about my quilting, but there were quite a few nods in the crowd as I was presenting, so I think it went pretty well considering everything. 

What I've been working on lately is a mini quilt along with Quilt Jane - the Nested Churn Dash QAL. Actually, I'm waffling back and forth about whether it'll be a quilt or a pillow. I'm also very indecisive about the quilting, which I've started twice and taken a seam ripper to. So . . . stay tuned. But I love the pattern, and what I have so far. And I'm really enjoying seeing what others are doing with the pattern too.

Speaking of quilting, THIS is the latest pin to my fmq + wf etc. board on Pinterest. (Short hand for free-motion quilting + walking foot etc.) Isn't it fun? I don't think I'm ready to tackle it, but I sure do aspire to it!

photo by Lori Kennedy of The Inbox Jaunt

Also, over on Sew, Mama, Sew this month, Jessica Skultety from Quilty Habit has curated the My Favorite Quilt series. Every day, a new quilter shares their own favorite quilt! It's similar but different to my own 31 Inspiring Quilters back in January, and there's a twist! You can link up your own favorite quilt! So check that out - I'm sure you'll enjoy the series. Start with today's post!

So that's it for now. Off to work I go! Hope you have a terrific day!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.

This and That

It was daughter dear's birthday this last weekend, and I thought she would enjoy some 'handmade' gift-wrapping. So I started with a project I saw on Pinterest - Fabric Twine by My Poppet. 

 I think I need to perfect my technique, but for the first time out, I thought it turned out ok.

 Plus it looked colorful and cute around a fabric-wrapped gift.

Then of course was the requisite Lined Drawstring Bag by In Color Order. I can't tell you how many of these I've made - Rachel's made oodles too. It's just a great little pattern and turns out so cute every time. This one's the Project Bag.

Not having the pleasure of attending Quilt Market last weekend, I must say I enjoyed watching from the sidelines on facebook and Instagram + reading folks' posts telling of their experience. And yes, seeing all the new collections is pretty exciting. Of course there had been alot of hype about the new Cotton + Steel, and it certainly doesn't sound unwarranted!

C+S Spring Collection Preview from Gregory Miller Pictures on Vimeo

Not saying that's all I'm looking forward to, but some of many!

Also, I got word last week that my ástərisk quilt was accepted for inclusion in the special exhibit Modern Metallic 2014 at Quilt!Knit!Stitch! in Portland OR this August. So that's pretty exciting! Definitely worth the rush to get it done!

Lastly, something you probably won't find me doing any time soon, but I thought they were SO darling! Hexistars from Nellie's Niceties. I thought some of you EPP types might enjoy them!

 

That's it for now! Hope you all are having a good week and enjoying the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.

MISC.

OK! Hang on to your hats! I must be making up for the lack of recent random posts or something, but boy do I have a bunch to share today! Let's start off with something I've been meaning to show off for a couple of months - the quilt ladder hubby gave me for my birthday. Yeah, I kind of hinted I'd like one, but he did the research and purchased it from a semi-local source, Robinson's Woodcrafts.

Of course I looked them up after the fact, and was impressed that they offer a variety of heights, rung widths, wood types, and stain colors. Mine happens to be 6-foot, 20" rungs, oak with red oak stain. And it looks great in our home!

There are EVENTS happening around blogland folks! All kinds of them. Here's a few I think you should know about:

• ROUND TWO of the mini quilt swap hosted by schnitzel & boo! I had a blast creating Crazy Rainbow in the last round, and made new friends in both the giving and the receiving. So yeah, I'm be joining in again.

• A New Quilt Blogger blog hop from plum and june. I participated a couple of years ago and it was a great opportunity to share myself as well as meet others. I kinda forgot till I looked back that it was also when I created and shared my tutorial for my Logo Card Holder which I still use whenever I go to guild meetings or other quilt events. Anyway, if you've been blogging less than 2 years, do consider checking in with Beth and joining in!

• Giveaway Day is just around the corner, beginning on Monday, May 12! The biannual event by Sew, Mama, Sew is a chance to givea way and win supplies and handmade items. It's tons of fun, especially now that it really lasts a whole week!

• The Blogger's Quilt Festival is a fun event hosted by Amy's Creative Side, and I look forward to participating again! Basically it's a huge online quilt show, so click through for the details and start thinking about what quilt(s) you want to share!

Next up are 2 new tutorials I've pinned to my Quilt BLOCKS Pinterest board. First a Half Rectangle Triangle tutorial by a thousand Needles. Allegory made me really happy by adding some tips on adjusting block sizes to an already excellent tutorial - very helpful!

And a block I have never seen before - the Curved Log Cabin block tutorial by Carly/CitricSugar on flickr. I'm trying to imagine how this will get incorporated into a quilt, but felt it was definitely worth sharing. Have you seen it in use before?

Finally, I shared this detail photo of my Canvas quilt on AQT facebook yesterday and got this comment from Janice: "I mean this as a compliment. I like that you are a real person and your rows are just slightly crooked as all of ours would be. Thank you for not being perfect and giving me hope that I can still quilt even though I can't sew straight some times."

Well you know, if there's anything I want to be here on the blog, it's real. So thanks for letting me share what I do - I certainly do enjoy it.

Linking up with Random Thursday.

Stuff

Well it didn't take much encouragement to convince me it would be good to join in the Triangle Quilt Along sponsored by The Sassy Quilter. You know, since a triangle quit is on my bucket list and all. It's just starting up, so it's perfect timing, with a pretty leisurely pace. I shopped my stash and found this lovely bundle - Clover Sunshine/Cloudy by Alison Glass Design - and I think it'll be a great place to start!

I'll be considering adding in some solids from Pink Chalk's helpful feature, "What goes with what?"

I'm also anxious to try some new American Name Brand solids by Clothworks. It's really fun having so many great solids to choose from, isn't it? 

After a busy weekend away, it was also fun to come home to the latest issue of American Quilter being available online! I didn't waste any time finding the page I was most anxious to see {Hi Leanne!} and there's Fissures sharing the limelight with shecanquilt's Cycles 2 along with Unraveling #2 by Judy Tescher. 

This issue also has an article by Linda/Flourishing Palms entitled "Modern Art." Sharing the pages with 2 friends and bee-mates is pretty special.

Speaking of bees! Not that I'm looking for another to join right now, but I have a friend who is. Any suggestions? I know there was a flickr group where bee openings were posted, but I've lost track of that - help?

Lastly, just as a little postscript - the magazine pages above are pictured on the back of Still Swooning. I forgot to take a photo of that, but at least you can see I used strips of 3 colorways of one of the Dowry florals. And on that random note . . . 

Have a great day!

Linking up with Really Random Thursday.