WIP Wednesday

 I hope you enjoyed your Memorial Day weekend, and remembered to give thanks for all of those brave men and women who have and continue to put their lives on the line in the name of freedom each and every day.

I got a little sewing in this weekend, but not as much as I had hoped.  I'm making progress on the quilt I have going for the quilt along over on my blog.  I think it will be a great one to curl up under the evenings for some summer reading.  :)

Crystal happened upon the great idea to embroider some Summersville fabric.  Just a bit here and there.  I believe this is going to be a pillow.  :)

The bricks are my favorite.  :)

Leslie is working on this cat bed which she believes her cats will most likely ignore.  HA!

Stephanie is hand piecing these fabulous stars from Erin McMoriss's "Somersault" line.  She does such lovely hand work!

And last, but not least, Trina is working on this twin sized Zig-Zag Quilt for one of her kids.  Lucky kid!  LOVE the orange.  A border is in the works.

There ya have it ladies and gents!  Other than a reminder about our Quilt Show on June 8th <wink wink, nudge nudge> the blog will be pretty quiet until the show is over.  There's a lot to be done!  :)

Sew long for now!

-Amanda-

Finish Up Friday

Finish Up Friday is here!

Our Habitat Quilt is FINISHED!  

Guest posting about this quilt is Erin Jeffries:

Habitat Quilt: I LOVE the eclectic charm of the quilt top and the strikingly beautiful and simple back.  

About: This is a Kona solid challenge quilt that the ladies and I from the OKC Modern Quilt Guild made.  Basically 13 ladies all made a few blocks for the front using only solid fabric with the “habitat” fabric from a new line my Jay McCarroll.  I suggested “X & +” blocks for the top.  We (Erin, Angela, Stephanie, and Kristine) then pieced the top together in one day at my house.  (Can you spot the blocks YOU made?) :)  Later that day we pinned the quilt together to get it sandwiched and ready to quilt.  

I love how each block is unique and the solids everyone chose to use were different too.  I then created the back for the quilt.  My inspiration for the back was a “filmstrip” design with the habitat fabric and a few of the solids.  So far so good.  I thought the background fabric should be a Kona gray.  But I noticed in my stash I didn't have enough of any of my kona grays.  So, Stephanie and I decided to use three!  We then needed to make the filmstrip wide enough to have the back be big enough for the quilt top due to my limited gray fabrics.  So, I had the idea of adding a coordinating solid to either side of our habitat fabrics.  The letters were appliqued from the 9 habitat fabrics onto the gray backing.  It reads “OKC SEW MOD” standing for OKC, so and SEW are play on words, and MOD stands for Modern.  The font we picked was the one everyone voted yes on.  For the binding I picked the "drop cloth" fabric along the right side of the quilt.  I looks really cool and different as it goes around the quilt edge.  I free motion quilted it using the blocks on the quilt front as a grid.  I quilted it in a “clementine” or “cathedral window” pattern with gray thread.  I added a “filmstrip” flare to the binding in pink and green if you can spot it!  

Thanks ladies for coming together on this group project and making this a beautiful quilt!  

Coffee Talk Tuesday: Kristine Palmer

It's "Coffee Talk Tuesday" again, and it's actually happening on a Tuesday this time.  YAY!  :)  This week we'll get to know Kristine Palmer a bit.  :)  She's super sweet, a bit quiet at times, and uber talented.  So, without further ado, here's Kristine!

Kristine with a Cathedral Window pillow she completed for an OKCMQG scrap swap challenge.

Hi, Kristine!  Lets get the nitty gritty out of the way.  Do you have a blog?  Maybe a store/shop?


Yes, it's called My House Full.  Maybe this will push me to get more posts up.  It's been severely neglected.  No shop though.


So, how long have you been sewing?


I can't remember when I started sewing. Sometime between the ages of 9 and 12, I think. My mom taught me some, and I experimented some. When I was in high school, I created a marching band outfit for a troll doll as a present for a friend. I wish I had a picture - I wonder what I would think of it now. After I graduated high school, I didn't do much until I wanted to sew clothing for my kids. I still have that first outfit that I put together on my own. It has its flaws, but each of my boys were able to wear it, and it is still in great shape. In 2001 I got my first sewing machine. Then in 2004 I took a sewing class from a junior college that focused on understanding different stitches and on garments. I have learned a lot over the years. There are things that I was unaware of during high school, but now I understand the why and how.


When did quilting enter the picture?


I have been quilting for about 10 years now. I started when my mom invited me to a block-of-the-month class at the local quilt shop. I had admired my moms work, and my grandmother's creative works always awed me. The store had an ingenious plan to drive traffic to their store. On the first Saturday of January, you pay a small kit fee for the first block. Then you return the next month with your completed block, and get the next kit free. I didn't finish it every month, but from 2002 to 2008, I attended that class. It was an amazing skill builder, and I learned many techniques and got many opportunities to practice and increase my skills. Sadly, I only have one of those quilts completed. The others are waiting for me in my UFO pile.

This is one of Kristine's first quilts.  This dinosaur quilt was quilted by hand.

You'll have to finish it and bring it to a meeting!!!  :)  So, your mom and grandma were the main influence in your journey to the quilting world?


Yes, my mom didn't have to push me hard to go to that first class. I already had a fascination with fabric and designs, even if I was more focused on clothing than quilts. It was a very natural transition, and once I started, I began to see the possibilities of all the different things I could create. That vision has only expanded since then.


What draws you to modern quilting vs. a more traditional style?


I can't say that I am a strictly modern quilting person. I love both. There are some very traditional patterns that I want to do, like a double wedding ring, but I also want to do some art quilts and modern designs. What I really enjoy is the freedom to bend the rules.


I think so many of us are in a similar boat on that one!  :)  Do you have a particular person or style that influences you in your modern quilting ventures?


Amanda Jean Nyberg of  Crazy Mom Quilts.   I find myself falling in love with each quilt she makes. I love her use of white in her quilts, and her color choices are always pleasing to my eye.  And, I am a sucker for Batiks. Hoffman Batiks, especially. I love the way the colors seem alive. The shout, "Bring me home with you!" and it always hurts me when I have to say no.

The batik block of the month was machine quilted. I stitched in the ditch with a walking foot. I changed how I tied off the thread halfway through - I really had no idea of what I was doing! But it has gone through a lot of abuse and still looks great.

Is there a time when you find most of your productivity happens or when great ideas hit you?

I struggle to find time to work on my quilts. My husband is back in school working on a PhD, and I am a stay-at-home mom to six kids. The past few years have not been very productive. But I have so many ideas of what I want to do that I don't know where to start. I get inspiration from quilt shows, blogs, fabric catalogs, and books. I think about how I would change it, the fabrics I would use, and how I would put it together.


That's another interesting point.  So many people of the modern quilting variety are mother's of children who are still living at home, making finding that time so much more of a challenge.  But, since you have so many ideas swimming around in your head, what projects are you hoping to work on next?


 I kinda have a quilt "bucket list." The top one is a double wedding ring King sized quilt made of Batiks. Every time I see one, I can't help but think, "I want to make one!" I also want to make some sort of tumbling blocks quilt, hexagon, storm at sea, spider web sting, miniature, lone star, and something with butterflies and lots of pink and purple for my daughter. The next quilt I will work on will be for my oldest son. It has been in the works for a number of years. The design is based off of Lego Bionicles, one of his favorite toys since he was little.

"Faith, Hope, Peace, Love"

Your list sounds as lengthy as mine!  :)  Now, out of the quilts you've made, which one are you the most proud of?
"Faith, Hope, Peace, Love" is the quilt that makes my heart soar every time I think of it. I made it soon after I found out a long-time friend was battling cancer, and the prognosis was unsure. Each part had a meaning. Green was for Faith. Pink was for Hope. Red was for Love. Blue was for Peace. The quilting in the sashing is actually scriptures for the bible, each focusing on one of the themes. The quilt was a surprise, and I'm happy to say that she loved it and used it. She is now in remission, and I'm so glad I took the time to make it.


What a sweet story!  I'm sure that quilt is treasured dearly.  :)  But, of course, now that we've discussed your greatest quilt...can you tell us about a project that went terribly wrong?


Not other than taking much more time than what I had intended! I have a way of having big dreams, and underestimating the amount of work that will have to go into it.


If you had to choose one must have book, or blog to visit, what would it be?


 I keep learning from Leah Day.  Her tutorials on free motion quilting are amazing. A few years ago I thought I have to mark everything before I quilt it. Now I know that isn't the case at all, and the results can be much more spectacular. Her art quilts are amazing and push me to experiment with my own quilts.


And what would your advice be to someone who is just diving into the world of quilting?


Jump in! The best way to learn is to do it. You will make mistakes, but you will learn and be able to create beautiful works of art (even the simplest quilt is a work of art!) quicker than you know. You will be more critical of your own work than most of the quilters you meet. You see the flaws, but others will see the beauty. You will too if you let yourself.


Thanks, so much, Kristine!  That is some great advice and I so enjoyed learning about your quilting journey!!!  :)  Thanks for sharing with us.


Coming up we will have a reveal of an OKCMQG project that has been in the works for a while.  Can't wait for Erin to share that with us.  :)  


Sew long for now,
-Amanda-

May OKCMQG Meeting

Last Saturday, May 12, we finally had a meeting.  Last month it was cancelled due to possible tornadoes. A few of our members were very lucky as one touched down close to their homes and places of work.  EEK!  We now have a standing rule that if you are in the area of a tornado you better get on Facebook and let us know you're okay!!!

But, anyway, we had our meeting.  We had a lot of show business to discuss, and the ball is definitely rolling.  Leslie brought our flyers to hand out and some lovely posters.  It's full steam ahead on this thing now.  No turning back.  Submissions have come and gone, and now I look forward to seeing what is chosen.  :)  Looks like display options are limited as well, which I think actually works in our favor.

We also talked about some blog stuff...limiting ourselves to one WIP post a month, and a Finish Up Friday post will be introduced...maybe next month.  We'll continue with our Coffee Talk Tuesdays...so that will be coming next week.

Then of course we had some time to share our WIPs and Finished works.

(Pardon the lack of editing.  But, things are just busy busy busy around here this week.)

Here I am...HELLO!...with my first English Paper Pieced project.  I am beyond proud of this thing, and I'm sure the other guild members are just flat out sick of hearing about it now.  But, yeah...so fun, and it looks great hanging up on my wall.

This is Angelina's work.  That chocolate brown was the PERFECT choice.  So autumnal.  Makes me want to bob for apples!  :)  Really though...it's stunning.  And the back isn't too shabby either...

Jemellia is working on a little dresden mug rug (I think it's as mug rug...I need to start writing down what people are saying.) for a Mother's Day gift.  :)  Darling!

Stephanie made this from left over charms she had.  WOW!!!  Seriously.  I just love this.  The hand stitching is done to look like a wood grain.  Seriously...I could go on and on about how I love these colors, the quilting, the layout....  Okay.  I'll stop myself now...except the back is as lovely as the front... 

 Ladies in our guild really know how to make browns work for them!!!  They keep them rich instead of falling flat which seems to happen so often.

Crystal made these neat hexagons by fussy cutting some striped fabric.  I think she has a tutorial coming up for the blog for this.  YAY!  I'm eager to see what the finally layout of the quilt is, and I like that she pieced the backing in hexagons as well.

Kristine made this sweet cathedral window pillow for the swap we had a while back.  So lovely.  It has a serene feel to it.  They look so perfect too, don't they?!  Jealous!!!

Leslie is just showing off now.  I mean seriously...this woman is never lacking for ideas.  A plaid houndstooth.   It just rocks!

And in the cuteness category we have Robin's Star Wars quilt.  That little baby is one lucky kid!!!  It's even cuter in person, and everyone was quite impressed.  :)

Well, that's it for this meeting.  Our quilt show is on June 8.  Info is on the right hand side of the blog.  Hope you'll come out and see us, or our quilts rather.  :)  Can't wait to get some pictures of the show!!!!

Sew long for now,

-Amanda-

WIP Wednesday

It's that time again folks...and the WIPs are sadly lacking this go 'round.

Sorry...I don't even have any.  I didn't get anything done last week since I was attending a destination wedding.

But, Cornelia...bless her heart, had sent me this little nugget before I left, for me to share with y'all!

She said:

This one has an interesting story..... A few months ago I was thinning out my fabric stash. I pulled eight or nine FQs and larger scraps (new fabric and old shirts, sheets, etc) that I just didn't think I'd ever use. But as it would happen, when I saw these all together, I thought they actually looked kinda neat together! So I quickly cut them into 4" tumblers and stuck them away for another time. Last week a friend had a little girl and I was able to churn out a top in no time because my cutting was done.

I still have to add some borders to plump this up some.

Looking good, girl!  It has a sweet vintage feel that I'm loving.  And thanks for helping us out with WIP Wednesday this week.

Now, I'm off to work on some of my own projects and play catch up a bit.

And if you're a member of OKCMQG or are interested in becoming one...don't forget to come to our meeting this Saturday, 1:00, at Quiltworks in OKC!  :)  I look forward to seeing everyone!

Sew long for now,
-Amanda-

Coffee Talk Tuesday: Erin Jeffries

We thought it would be fun to have a way to share with you, our readers, a little bit about those of us in the OKCMQG.  And eventually we'll get into talking about other things as well.  But, we'll start off with interviews.  :)


First up is the lovely Erin Jeffries who has been a part of OKCMQG since the beginning I believe!  A big thanks to her for being our first interviewee!!!  So without further ado I give you Erin.


_________________________________________________________________________________

Hello fellow quilters and fabric lovers!  My name is Erin Jeffries and like all moms and wives out there I have many jobs and a few hobbies.

Erin, tell us a little about your journey in the world of sewing/quilting.

I taught myself how to sew at the age of ten or so.  My mom, grandmother, aunt, and great grandmother were all exceptional seamstresses.  They taught me how to thread the sewing machine and away I went.  I think my first project I designed was wide legged pajama pants.  This was around the time when wide legged jeans became popular (again).  For the next decade I sewed things for myself, and others, that were needed or that solved a problem.  You can solve a lot of problems with a sewing machine and thread!  I made bags, clothing, blankets, tool holders, ballroom skirts, and other items.  I made two quilts early on for my parents and my boyfriend (husband now).  They were simple and I just tied them instead of quilting them.  Oh how much I have learned since then!  I then started making “modern” quilts after my daughter Bethany was born in 2005.  

I was/am a stay at home mom, so quilting seamed like a good hobby.  I soon discovered the fabric line “Estrella” by Valori Wells and I was in LOVE.  My daughter will some day have a beautiful “Estrella” quilt to love and tote with her wherever she goes.  I’m still planning it because it’s such a special quilt for me that it’s hard to cut into that fabric.  So in a sense Valori and “Estrella” sparked my love for fabric and making something modern and snuggly.  To me that is what defines my quilting style.  You have to love the fabric choices and the color scheme.  You want to make a pattern that showcases the fabrics and the individuals personality.  You want to quilt it in such a way that the quilting complements the design as a whole.  Then hopefully what you have is a quilt that matches the person completely that they feel love and peace as they curl up in it.  Modern quilting in itself is not new.  I can look through a 1920 quilt calendar and see influences here and there from many “modern” quilts that have been re-mixed today.  I think part of modern quilting is the FABRIC and the colors.  It is also a simplifying of the pattern or changing the pattern that makes it modern too.  Now, don’t think that just because a quilt is modern it is somehow simple and easy.  Some are easy, while others take a trigonometry teacher to construct! 

Where do you frequently find inspiration for your quilts?

           

I design and make most of my quilts from scratch.  I get inspiration from buildings, shopping at Target or the mall, nature, bible inspiration, Crate and Barrel magazine, Ikea furniture, and anything out there that I see with a great pattern. 

I can imagine it's difficult to find time to sew as a stay at home mom.  When do you find the time?

I sew mainly now only when my daughter is at school.  So I actually sew less now than I did when she was a toddler.  I LOVE all the quilting and sewing blogs out there.  I have been in this quilting movement since spring 2006 and have seen a lot of progression in the blogging scene.  I do have a blog but I have fallen way behind on posting there.  I do have a website that I try to keep current pictures on.  My website has my bio, a big portfolio of all my sewing and quilting projects, my shop, prices, and a link to my blog on the homepage.  On my blog I tell all about the quits and projects I have created along with a few tutorials and tips.  The name of my quilting business is Miss Butterfly B’s.  At the time of thinking of a name for my small in home business I was raising butterflies with my toddler Bethany that we call Miss B.  So from that you get Miss Butterfly B’s (for Bethany). 

"Vivien"

Which of the quilts you have created speak the most to you?

Now Accepting Quilt Show Submissions

Submissions for the June Quilt Show are now open!

Quilt submission is a two step process:

1. Complete and submit a SUBMISSION FORM (one per quilt); then
2. Email up to three photos per quilt to  OKCMQG@gmail.com.

Please see a complete list of Rules on the Submission Form and on our menu bar under 2012 Quilt Show. You will be notified by June 1st as to whether or not your entry has been accepted.

Get those quilts completed! You have until May 15th to submit your entry!