Coffee Talk "Tuesday": Trina Kubicki

This week we're featuring Trina!  She is the treasurer of our guild (thank goodness we have someone good with numbers and money.  That is so not me!), and she stays really busy these days.  Every quilt I've seen of hers is just gorgeous, and I hope we get to see her at more meetings in the near future as she has a lot of talent for us to oooh and aaah over.  :)  So, without further ado...lets get to know Trina!

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Hi Trina!  Thanks so much for being interviewed.  I'm really excited to learn more about your outlook on quilting, so lets dive in, shall we?  When did you really get into sewing in general?

      Although my mom and grandma sewed, I didn’t have any interest until I was out of high school. I actually took sewing lessons at Fun to Sew in The Village. They were clothing sewing classes. I took two different classes, and while I became proficient, I really didn’t like making clothing. I do still have a skirt I made and actually wore it recently.

It's funny how many people I hear that get into sewing to make clothes and then end up finding other sewing projects to be more their forte.  I can definitely relate.  So, how did you make the leap from sewing clothes to quilting?

My Mom started quilting around 2000 and convinced me to make a quilt. It was a paper pieced quilt made out of all polka dot materials. We actually made it together, but hers was done quickly and I dragged mine out for about 4 years! I think seeing the finished product and everyone’s responses (You made that??) really pushed me into quilting on a regular basis.

Wow!  4 years?  I'm really impressed that you sought out that finish!!!  That is real dedication!  So, it sounds like your mom convinced you to get into quilting?

I wasn’t drawn into quilting, I was pulled by my mom with a lot of resistance and eye rolling. I really didn’t think I had the time or the technical skills to make a full quilt. My experience thus far had been clothing and small things, such as stockings and aprons.

HA!  I think many daughter's can relate to that situation.  So, what drew you into the more modern style of quilting?

The fabric! When I started quilting I used a lot of Moda lines and traditional patterns.  While they were pretty, they didn’t feel very ‘me’. Then I discovered the blog Film in the Fridge. I loved the freedom in her quilts and she links up to great fabric stores. A hop, skip, and a click later and I was in fabric heaven.  And once you find fabric you love, you start looking for a pattern that will work and showcase the fabric and then it just snowballs.

That is a great blog!  It's always refreshing to be able to turn to the world of blogging and find someone out there who "speaks" to you and "gets" you, isn't it?  So, who else in inspires your quilting style?

I of course love the big name:  Anna MarieHorner, Denyse Schmidt, and Amy Butler, but I find everyday women who quilt actually more inspirational. Those with no experience that just want to make something they love, something that can be passed down, something that they are proud of.

"Dotty"

That is a great thing about quilting.  That someone can just create and if you can sense the love and inspiration in it then it doesn't matter if it's perfect...it's beautiful.

You mentioned the fabrics drew you into the "modern" movement.  What fabric designers/manufacturers do you love?

I love a lot of the Free Spirit fabric designers:  Anna Marie Horner, Denyse Schmidt, Heather Bailey, Dena Designs, Jennifer Paganelli, JoelDewberry……I love that fabric designers have become not so matchy matchy. I don’t want to see the same 4 prints in 4 different colorways. And I love that they are mixing up colors, colors that you don’t think go together until you see them and you have one of those ‘Aww’ moments.

So, when do you find the time to work with all of these lovely fabrics?  When does inspiration strike?

     I usually sew on weekends, after the kids are settled (either in bed or watching a movie). For years me and a girlfriend have tried to get together for craft night on Wednesday. With school in session, it is harder, but we still try to find time! I don’t come up with my own ideas much, I love to steal other people’s ideas. If I had to come up with an original idea, I might never get a project started. I love quilting books because I am very visual and I love looking at Pinterest and our Facebook blog to see what people are making, but other than that, I am not online much. 

I think you'll find several quilting book hoarders amongst our guild members!  (ME!!!)  Sometimes you don't need to reinvent the wheel if you know what I'm saying.  :)  So, what are some patterns or techniques that you have on your to do list these days?

    I took on the task of making new bedding for all our beds. I have finished my two boys quilts, one a queen and one a twin. Currently I am making a full size for my daughter and then I will tackle a king size for my bed. I actually have made one for my bed, but I need the warmth of two in the winter.  Then I will tackle a few things for Christmas…So nothing out of my comfort zone, but plenty to keep my busy.

A king size?  You brave brave soul!  I can't wait to see the finish though!  

Now we get to talk a bit more about your finished quilts.  Which one is your favorite?

I love my quilts like my children, so I am hard pressed to find just one that I am most proud of. (That also makes them harder to give away!!) I love my Dotty quilt, because it was my first and a paper pieced quilt with circles and applique. Maybe that is why it took me 4 years to finish it. My favorite is my quilt using Anna Marie Horner fabrics.  The pattern is called Olivia and it was made for a quilt like that had like 40 different fabrics. I had 12 or so, so I had to covert the pattern to fit what I had. 

And of course...since you are getting the chance to show off your quilty goodness we also need to hear about a mishap.  You know...so we all feel better about ourselves.  

     I am a very haphazard sewer so I always make mistakes, nothing that I haven’t been able to have a “Make it Work” moment. That said, my chicken quilt was supposed to have a nine patch within a nine patch block. Once together it made a chain in the quilt. I made the mistake of using directional fabric (stripes) and didn’t think about it during assembly. There was absolutely no way I was going to seam rip out 90 or so 1” blocks so they got ‘86’d and I added chicken appliqué.  It still turned out well, just not at all like the pattern.

Ah yes, the inner Tim Gunn.  I have one too!  

Now you get to be Tim Gunn and give us some advice.  First off where should we go to find inspiration?  A particular blog or book you can recommend?

  I really only look at one blog, Film in the Fridge. I wish I had more time because there is so much out there. I think I have about every modern quilting book and magazine out there, but I think Liberated Quiltmaking II, by Gwen Marston is great; not so much for patterns, it just expands your ways of thinking.  You can put a modern spin on about any pattern out there.

And finally, what advice do you have to someone knew to the world of modern quilting?

     Just jump in! Find a fabric you love and make the easiest pattern you can find. You will never get better if you don’t try and honestly, you will pick apart your work way more than any person ever will. The pride in the finished product is so worth all the effort and blood, sweat, and tears!

That's great advice, and it's so true!  Thanks again for taking time to chat with me, Trina!  I look forward to seeing that king size quilt in particular!!!