gelassenheit

You may have noticed the photo in my header up there that I changed a few weeks ago. It's a detail from my quilt, Gelassenheit, and I'm excited to finally be sharing more of it with you now.

I took these photos of it in front of the barn at our new house, using the ladder to the tree house.

I really love the contrast of the modern quilt with the rustic wood of the ladder and barn. 

But, I wasn't able to get a full shot of the quilt, so I had a bit of a photo shoot last night.

Gelassenheit is my modern take on a traditional Dresden Plate quilt design, and it measures approximately 53" square. I made it as a design exercise while I was working on my Diamonds in the Sky quilt for Creativebug. I was playing with the idea of strip piecing, specifically how large pieced sections could be cut up and and put back together in a completely different arrangement. I used three different shades of solid cream cotton, a pale blue solid, and a light gray solid for the border and binding. Those colors feel really soothing and tranquil to me, and those are the thoughts that kept popping in my head while I was constructing the quilt. So, as I was thinking of a name for the quilt, I started to look up the word tranquility in different languages and I found Gelassenheit,  a German word, which I thought was quite fitting for a Dresden Plate quilt. But it has an additional meaning in the Amish culture, which I found equally as fascinating. It is an important part of Amish life in which one humbly yields to the will of God, which derives from the Biblical passage, Luke 22:42, in which Jesus says, "not my will, but thine be done."

I was also on a deadline to complete a quilt for an exhibition at the International Quilt Festival in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild had been invited to participate in a special exhibition of quilts that were a modern take on the Dresden Plate, so I decided to applique one large Dresden on top of the pieced section. The printed fabric is Amy Butler's Alchemy Organic Paisley in Sky Blue, which is so gorgeous, and I love how its design is also changed when it's been cut and pieced back together. 

I turned down the edges of my Dresden Plate and topstitched it to hold it in place.

And I used a chartreuse green solid as the center of the plate, which I also appliqued, although I used a fusible webbing to hold it in place, coupled with zig zag stitches around the perimeter of the circle.  

 

I quilted Gelassenheit it with straight lines, my absolute favorite, spaced about 3/8" apart. I just love the result of all those line of quilting.

While I do love the result, it's really tough to quilt so densely on my domestic sewing machine. There is a lot of straining of my neck, back, and arms that occasionally happens as a result of spending so much time in front of my machine, so I'm hoping my friend Jill will be able to help me out with her new machine.

Here's a better shot of the border and binding. I used the same fabric for both of these areas because I didn't want the binding to be a distraction from the rest of the quit design.

And for the back I used a lime green solid cotton, with a bit of the gray solid pieced in. I really love the unexpected pop of color that happens as a result of incorporating a new shade that isn't on the front of the quilt. 

I took a few photos of the quilt in progress too, and I thought it would be fun to share those with you as well. Here it is as I was getting ready to stitch the Dresden plate section down to the front of the quilt. 

And here it is, all basted and ready to quilt.

Here a shot of the quilt about midway through my straight line quilting.

My constant companion didn't help make things any easier during the quilting process, but he seemed to really enjoy the quilt. 

And here's a shot where you can see just how much the added texture of the dense straight line quilting adds to the finished look of the quilt. It's really amazing how much it changes everything; although at the same time I feel it doesn't compete with the design of the quilt top, just enhances it.

My son Aidan loves the quilt too, and in fact, he actually claimed it before I was finished making it. I explained to him that it would be a while before he could use it, knowing that it had to be on display at the Festival in April, and I finished it back in November. That didn't matter to him, and he even made a drawing of himself in front of the quilt, so of course, I had to take a photo of him, holding that picture, in front of the actual quilt. The cool kids call that meta, right?? 

So, I added this dedication to the label on the back of the quilt. Looks like Aidan might have to wait a bit longer for the quilt because it may be traveling to a few more places. Our Dresden Plate exhibition was really popular at festival and there has been talk of it being shown in a few more venues around the world. More on the show soon!

to help Otilija and Orlando

photograph from whipup.net

You may have heard about the horrendous tragedy that happened off the coast of Australia last week which left Kathreen Rickeston, the founder of Whip Up, and her husband Rob dead, and their two children, daughter Otilija and son Orlando, without their parents . Kathreen and her family were spending a year on their dream trip, camping around Australia and going on all sorts of adventures, which would culminate in a book. That trip was cut short last week when Kathreen and Rob accidentally drowned in Coral Bay, while their two children and other campers watched in horror.

Kathreen was very supportive of my work, and we had worked together recently when she asked to feature me in an article that she wrote for Australian Quilters Companion. She was so kind and incredibly talented and it was clear that her children meant the world to her. Kathreen was hugely responsible for helping to form the online craft community through Whip Up, which will no doubt feel a void with her absence.

photograph from whipup.net

A trust fund has been set up for Otilija and Orlando and you can donate to it through Paypal at otilijaandorlando@gmail.com. You can also read more about the fund here and other ways to donate, especially if you are in Europe or Australia.

Rest in peace, Kathreen and Rob, and Godspeed to Otilija and Orlando. Sending you all lots of love.

Bijoux winner!

 Thank you for all of your kind words about my patchwork dress and for entering my giveaway of Bari J.'s new Bijoux line. The winner is

lucky number 21, who just happens to be.....

Jean!!! My friend and former member of the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild, who (unfortunately) had to move away to the west coast last year. Congratulations, Jean!!! I'm off to get your mailing address so I can pass it along to Bari for your goodies!!

Bijoux by Bari J. launch party + giveaway!

I'm so excited to be taking part in Bari J.'s launch party for Bijoux, her new collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. It's so gorgeous, with inspiration drawn from the imagined life of a traveling free spirit and her elegant caravans full of beautiful textiles and treasures she has acquired throughout her wanderings. You can read more about Bari's inspiration on her blog, and find some great free patterns there as well.

photo by Jim Naughten

When I was thinking of a project to make with my bundle of Bijoux, my friend Cal posted a photo on Instagram of a woman from the Herero tribe in Namibia wearing a traditional patchwork dress, like the one above. I was immediately drawn to the stunning costume, and after a little google research, I found that there is a newly published book of these images by photographer Jim Naughten.

So, I decided to make my own version of a dress inspired by the traditional costumes of the Herero women. This pattern is one that I designed about five years ago and used to sell in my etsy shop, although I modified this version by adding scrappy log cabin patchwork blocks for the skirt section.

Oliva loves it! I finished it yesterday and she would not take it off after our little photo shoot. She's a big fan of Bijoux, too.

And she wouldn't stop twirling in the dress.

I love the mix of colors in this line, from the dark rich pink to the mustard yellow, chocolate brown, and even the bits of green. It all works so well together.

Bijoux has just shipped to your local independent fabric retailers, so you'll be able to get your hands on some very soon. But, Bari has generously set aside 10 fat quarters to give away to one of my readers. Please leave a comment below telling me what you'd like to make with Bijoux, and I'll choose a winner randomly tomorrow,  May 17th at noon ET. Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if it's not a part of your profile so I can contact you if you're the lucky winner!

And don't forget to check out the entire launch party to see lots of amazing inspiration and gorgeous projects featuring Bijoux:

May 1:  Melanie Dramatic,

May 2:  Sew Much Like Mom

May 3:  100 Billion Stars

May 4: I'm Doing Stuff

May 6:  Imagine Gnats

May 7: Jona G.

May 8: Mommy for Reals

May 9: Olive and Ollie

May 10:  Pile O' Fabric

May 11: Sally's Angel Works

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Winner!

I'm sorry for the delay in sharing the winner of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! I was at a retreat this weekend (more on that to come soon) and I didn't have access to my computer while I was out of town. But, without further adieu, the winner of my giveaway is....

lucky number six, who was....

Congratulations, Sarah!!! I'm off to email you now for your mailing address and I'll get your goodies in the mail ASAP!

Mod Stripes Quilt for Creativebug

I'm so excited to share with you my latest workshop for Creativebug, my Mod Stripes Quilt Top! This design was inspired by my Silo quilt, but it's a bit more complex and I used a much brighter color palette for this project.

The Mod Stripes Quilt is a lap sized quilt, measuring at 64" x 70", and is made using the technique of strip piecing, which is one of my favorite ways to work. It makes piecing and constructing a quilt much faster, and this project is no exception. The Mod Stripes Quilt comes together very quickly, and is a great project for a beginner quilter or sewist, and an even quicker project for someone who is more experienced.

My original design for the Mod Stripes quilt features bold bright colors (I used FreeSpirit Designer Solids in Aqua, Kiwi, and Arctic White), but I think this would look really great in a wide range of color palettes. I've got plans to make another version using a pale green, cream, and light gray for the new house. I'm thinking Chamois, Chartreuse, and Pale Gray would be fun.

So, join me over at Creativebug where I'll walk you through this entire project, step by step, and we'll make one together! We'll cover everything from cutting fabric to constructing the strips, building the quilt blocks and then sashing them. We'll also talk about constructing the backing for your quilt and finishing techniques as well. You can purchase the class for the Mod Stripes Quilt a la carte, or you can take it, and all of the other 130+ workshops that Creativebug offers, by taking advantage of their amazing subscription offer. 

my patterns on Oliver + S

I'm so excited to share with you that my quilt patterns are available to purchase through the Oliver + S website. My friends Liesl and Todd asked me a couple of months if I'd be interested in them offering my patterns for sale on their website, and of course I said yes. What an honor! I'm a huge fan of both Liesl and Todd, both for their impeccable work ethic and their impeccable designs. They are both amazingly kind, generous, and encouraging, too.

I'm sharing more information about my patterns on their blog today, and you can check it out here. Thank you again, Liesl and Todd!