Lynn Carson Harris

New Website - LynnCarsonHarris.com

I now have a website at LynnCarsonHarris.com.  All future updates will be at the new website.

New Website

I am thrilled to share with you something I've been working on the last few weeks. 

Go check out my new website! All future blog posts will be posted at the new website - just click the "blog" button in the upper right of the new website. 

You can scroll to the bottom and sign up for my newsletter for updates on upcoming events such as workshops and classes. 

Be sure to reset your bookmarks and feeds. I'll be keeping this blog space open for reference only. 

 

 

Bountiful Fabric

You know I have a love affair with Art Gallery knits so I jumped at the chance to sew with Sharon Hollands new Bountiful line.  The teal print is perfect for me and I was happy to finally try the Colette Myrtle dress pattern. I am pleased with the fit on the first try of the pattern. 

I made the size medium and the only change I will make on the next one will be to cut the elastic for the waist a little shorter.  The dress and fabric are very soft and comfortable to wear. This is my new favorite dress! I know there will be more versions of this in the future. I'll be watching for some more Art Gallery knits that are my style!

I also made a Flashback Skinny Tee for miss P. This pattern by Made by Rae has been a favorite for years, we went up a size for this shirt and still are not to the largest size in the pattern. Miss P searched the web for a headband tutorial and use THIS ONE to make herself a matching headband.

Shortly after we finished the shirt, my DIL visited and saw the leftover fabric. She whipped out a pair of Baby Got Back pants for my grandson.

Miss P designed and made the bow tie for him one morning before anyone else in the house was up. These knits are great for wiggly babies!

You can visit Sharon's blog to find a beautiful & inspiring recap of each week of the blog tour here. Yesterday, Maureen Cracknell of Maureen Cracknell Handmade shared a beautiful bag made from the woven prints in the collection, and tomorrow you won't want to miss Anjeanette's Bountiful project at her blog anjeanettek.

Monday, April 3
Heidi Staples
Blog: fabricmutt
Instagram: @fabricmutt

Tuesday, April 4
Emily Dennis
Blog: quiltylove
Instagram: emily_dennis_

Wednesday, April 5
Minki Kim
Blog: Minikim
Instagram:@zeriano

Thursday, April 6
Heather Andrus
Blog: quiltstory
Instagram: quiltstory

Friday, April 7
Sharon McConnell
Blog: colorgirlquilts
Instagram: @colorgirlquilts

Monday, April 10
Silvia Sutters
Blog: astrangerview
Instagram: @astrangerview

Tuesday, April 11
Elina Temmes
Blog : elinatemmes
Instagram: @elinatemmes

Wednesday, April 12
Kim Niedzwiecki
Blog: gogokim
Instagram:gogokim

Thursday, April 13
Katie Skoog
Blog: TheSimpleLifeCompany
Instagram: @SimpleLifePatterns

Friday, April 14
Cindy Wiens
Blog: liveacolorfullife
Instagram: @liveacolorfullife

Monday, April 17
Maureen Cracknell
Blog: maureencracknellhandmade
Instagram: @maureencracknell

Tuesday, April 18
Name: Lynn Harris
Blog : LynnCarsonHarris
Instagram: @LynnCarsonHarris

Wednesday, April 19
Anjeanette Klinder
Blog : anjeanettek
Instagram: @anjeanetteklinder

Thursday, April 20
Mathew Boudreaux
Blog: misterdomestic
Instagram: @MisterDomestic

Friday, April 21
Alexis Wright
Blog: mysweetsunshinestudio
Instagram: @myysweetsunshine

Sue Stone
Blog: needleinafabricstash
Instagram: @needleinafabricstash

Fractured

Here's the finished quilt, Fractured, from the previous post. The blocks are string pieced 5'' finished squares.

The "liberated" straight lines in the blocks were achieved by making straight line spirals over four blocks at a time.

I've made a few other quilts from Oakshott cottons and I am smitten.

I've saved all the scraps and will be doing some tiny piecing with the leftovers. The fabric is thin enough that I think it will behave really well in tiny piecing. 

This quilt uses the Lakes collection, the Ruby Reds collection and the two greys in the Scandinavian collection.

The back of the quilt is also Oakshott; I love it so much that I now want to make a whole cloth quilt with it, or maybe a simple Welsh Bars quilt. I want to hand quilt it and lose myself in the glow of the fabric. I want the quilting and the iridescence of the fabric to take center stage. 

I really do wish you could see it in person. 

Finished size 51'' x 51''.

WIP

The last week or two I've been working with these beautiful Oakshott cottons. This commission piece uses the Lakes collection, the Ruby Reds collection and the two greys in the Scandinavian collection.

I wanted short sections of straight line quilting. To achieve this, I used my new BERNINA 72 foot for ruler work. It is similar to the darning foot but the ring surrounding the needle is high enough to slide next to a thick ruler. I have used rulers before when I had my longarm machine so I was familiar with the process. Using the rulers on the domestic machine is different but by the time I finished the quilt I had it mastered! I know I'll be doing more ruler work on my domestic machine in the future. 

 

 

 

I'm a BERNINA girl.

My parents bought me my first sewing machine, a portable singer, back when I was in high school. Years later, in 1989, my husband surprised me on my birthday with a BERNINA 1230. He even called my boss and arranged for me to have the day off of work  so I could stay home and sew on the brand new machine!  To this day it's one of the best and most used gifts I've ever gotten and speaks to how well he knows me.

A few years ago I bought myself a BERNINA 820. The larger harp space makes quilting SO much easier. This machine also came with a table so that the machine bed is flush with the bed of the sewing machine. That was a game changer for me as far as machine quilting. The quilts no longer get caught on the edge of the machine. My daughter also enjoys sewing on it.

My old 1230 now lives with my son and daughter-in-law and is still going strong. My daughter-in-law is enjoying making little baby clothes for my grandbaby. She and my son just recently worked together to make an amazing queen size spiderweb quilt for their son's great grandmother. 

The 820 is a bit big to take anywhere so I have also invested in a newer machine for taking to teach and on retreats and sew-ins. This machine has narrow set feed dogs and is perfect for tiny piecing. 

I enjoy making clothes for my daughter, machine mending for my family, and occasionally making items for my home. BERNINA makes everything so much easier with feet that are engineered specifically for certain tasks  and can quickly be changed for a specific part of a sewing project. 

I've been writing this blog for about ten years but most of you have not been readers for that long so I'll share a little background information about myself.

Although I was born in North Carolina, I spent the first half of my life in Blacksburg, Va. where my dad worked for Virginia Tech. My two sisters and I learned to sew from our mother who was one of two sewing teachers in our 4-H club. I finished my first quilt in 1976 with the resurgence of quilting that came with the American bicentennial celebration. 

The second half of my life I have lived in a small town in south east Michigan. We live in an old farm house and have chickens and a large garden. Each year we grow a patch of Indian corn that we use to make our own cornmeal and feed our chickens. My oldest son was married in our yard and his wedding reception was held in our barn which he and my husband restored. 

Both of my parents grew up on farms in central Virginia. Like the little red hen in the children’s story, I was taught to do things from scratch and to never let anything go to waste. My thrifty upbringing led me to my current style of working with scraps and the desire to use “every last piece.” My quilts have been juried into international shows and gallery exhibits and my work is in private collections around the world.

I have always recommended BERNINA machines to others and now that I am teaching across the country I have been selected to be a BERNINA brand ambassador.  I travel to the BERNINA US headquarters each year and learn about the new machines and what they can do. I know the importance of having the right tool for the job and love that BERNINA puts so much thought into the design and technology of their machines. 

Here is a list of the classes I currently offer:

Tiny Piecing - Learn tips and tricks that make working small easier. Lynn will show you how to piece tiny stars, and other small blocks as well as small scale intuitive piecing.  With Lynn’s tips for working small you will be able to add a bit of tiny sparkle to your own quilt designs or make your own quilt completely from tiny blocks like on the cover of Lynn’s book, Every Last Piece.

String theory - Lynn will teach her method for string piecing with no foundation. With this fool proof technique, there is no extra layer of fabric in the quilt and no paper bits to pick out after the sewing is finished. This technique to build blocks can be used in many designs. You will learn the skills needed to add string piecing to your own quilt designs. Longer workshops involve designing more complicated quilts. Bring your scrap bin and prepare to have some fun!

Intuitive Piecing with Solids - Working with free-form, improvisational construction, students will create their own, original quilts using easy to learn design concepts and techniques. This design class is good for the beginning and advanced, traditional and art quilter. Come and join the fun as Lynn shows you easy methods for creating your own original quilts.

Liberated Log Cabin Quilts - This class explores the many possibilities to this traditional pattern. Intuitive piecing leads to many different interpretations of the simple design.  Good for beginning or advanced, traditional or art quilter. Learn easy techniques for making striking quilts.

Hand Applique - Lynn’s needle turn applique technique makes it easy to achieve perfect applique circles and smooth curves. Points and corners are not a problem. Choose one of Lynn’s Fleur-de-lis patterns that are designed to teach you all of the skills needed to applique any other shape or design. You will learn the techniques needed to master applique on inside curves, outside curves, inside corners, and outside corners. The applique piece can later be made into a pillow top or small wall hanging, or used as the center of a medallion quilt.

Flower Pot Applique - Students will design their own pot or vase of flowers. You will learn to fold and free cut different kinds of flowers. Lynn’s needle turn applique technique makes it easy to achieve perfect applique circles and smooth curves. Points and corners are not a problem.  Students will learn the techniques needed to master applique on inside curves, outside curves, inside corners, and outside corners. Lynn will also an easy way to applique vines and stems.

Pressing Matters -Learn the tricks for a flat finish to your quilt. Lynn will show you how to get perfectly matched seams and avoid the volcano that can happen when many points come together at the same place. You will learn the secret to getting seam allowances to twirl and lie flat. Taking a little extra time for thoughtful pressing will yield a better looking and a flatter quilt that is easier to quilt. Even if you don’t do your own quilting, your longarm quilter will thank you!

 

The BERNINA ambassador program has enabled me to connect with many other very talented sewers, quilters, and teachers across the country. This week some of these artists will be sharing their stories. Be sure to visit all of their websites and find out more about them and the classes they teach. 

Monday March 20
Lynn Carson Harris [email protected]
Kelly Ashton [email protected]
Diane Doran [email protected]
Melody Crust [email protected]

Tuesday March 21
Kathy Delaney [email protected]
Christa Watson [email protected]
Mandy Leins [email protected]

Wednesday March 22
Sandy Fitzpatrick [email protected]
Beth Ferrier [email protected]
Cheryl Sleboda [email protected]

Thursday March 23
Annie Smith [email protected]
Lori Kennedy [email protected]
Kari Carr
Catherine Redford [email protected]

Friday March 24
Joanne Sharpe [email protected]
Cherry Guidry [email protected]
Jenelle Montilone [email protected]

Family Heirlooms

When I was growing up, my sisters and I stayed several weeks with my grandparents each summer. My grandmother kept this quilt spread out in the back of her station wagon where my sisters and I would all three ride on trips into town to get groceries, go to the library, or go "visiting." This quilt holds many memories in its faded fabric and melted crayon stains. My grandmother did not sew but she told me she helped cut the pieces for this quilt that her mother-in-law sewed together.

When my grandmother gave me the double wedding ring quilt, she also gave me this fan quilt that I had never seen before. I love having these old quilts and enjoy looking at all the old fabric prints.

Wordless Wednesday

Log Cabin Mini

I started this little quilt last summer. It's a fun variation of a log cabin. The blocks are made in an improvisational or intuitive way that I teach in my intuitive log cabin class.  

I love the way some of the same or similar color fabrics come together and make a different visual shape, like the yellow and green angles in the photo below. 

I enjoyed hand quilting this one. I carried it in my project bag and took my time working on it while waiting at lessons and such. 

The deep purple binding gives it a nice finish.

Finished size 16'' by 14.5''. 

Splendid Sampler giveaway winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered and congratulations to the winners!

US winner- Stacy Martin

International winners - Carol Andrews from Canada and Katlijn Lecluyse from Belgium.

 

 

The Splendid Sampler Celebration!

Today marks the one year anniversary of the start of The Splendid Sampler sew along.

I don't know about you, but I was not able to keep stitching my blocks as they came out. I am eager to get my copy of the book, I know I'll go back and make some of the blocks I missed.

In celebration of the Splendid Year of blocks, I'm hosting a giveaway! 

I'll have two winners. 

An international winner will receive a copy of my Atomic Pinwheels pattern.

A US winner will get copy of my Atomic Pinwheels pattern AND a copy of my Sewing with Nancy DVD.

To enter, tell me what is your favorite new technique that you learned this year from the Splendid Sampler designers! Also, make sure to let me know if you live in the states or are an international reader. 

I'll keep the comments open for a week and announce the winner next Monday.