Lynn Carson Harris

Desert To Sea

Meet my friend Jane Davidson. She's a fabulous professional longarm quilter who lives in Australia and has just self published a book. I met Jane a couple of years ago at quilt market and was able to spend a bit of time with her this spring in Minneapolis. She is such a fun, warm, and generous person. I hope you have the opportunity to meet her in real life someday too.

You may be familiar with Jane's Nested Churn Dash Quilt. I know I have seen quite a few quilts using this pattern on the web.

I asked Jane which of her quilts makes her the most proud. She says she is equally proud of Grey Matter

and APQ 4-Patch Quilt.

Desert to Sea is the title of Jane's new book.

It includes 10 quilt patterns by eight Australian designers. They did the photography themselves and Jane did all of the diagrams, styling, and layout herself. The book is available print on demand through Amazon. Jane will be selling them to Australians in her online shop. Quilt shops around the world can register here for a wholesale account to purchase books for resale.

I made a single block from Jane's Rock Pool's quilt pattern that I'll turn into a pillow. There were instructions for both regular piecing and paper piecing for this block. 

Jane is incredibly creative; she also took the design of her Refractatorium block and had it etched into buttons! Aren't they cute? She says she will have the buttons available for sale in July. I hope she adds some larger sizes. I think larger ones would look great on bags or as an accent on a dress.

Jane's favorite non quilty thing to do is play the piano and sing. She claims she's not good at either one but I don't believe her. 

Here are all of Jane's online links so that you can keep up with what she's doing. 

Shop: www.wantitneeditquilt.com.au

Site : www.quiltjane.com

IG @quiltjane

FB : Want it need it quilt

Twitter @quiltjane

 

 

 

Motives and Materials

Friday we drove out to Park Forest, Ill. to see Chawne Kimber at the opening to the show Motives and Materials at the Tall Grass Arts Association. Chawne has nine quilts in the show that runs through July 25.

I love that Chawne's quilts are quilty but not predictable like many I see at shows. She pushes the limits of working small and is not afraid to try new things. I have enjoyed watching her growth as a quilter over the years. I followed her progress on flicker long before she started blogging. She has progressed from making more common traditional quilt designs to working in an improvisational style. She has developed her own recognizable quilt voice that also shines in her other needlework. She is an excellent improv knitter and has also made some incredible embroidery pieces.

These quilts are filled with rich detail that can only be seen and appreciated in up close study. 

As always, Chawne has inspired me to push my quilting limits and I am eager to explore some new quilting techniques.

If you are anywhere in the area before July 25 get yourself over there to see Chawne's quilts. You will not be disappointed. These quilts need to be experienced in person.

Even if you are not in the area, Chawne's quilts are worth the drive!! Go!

Face #1 by Melissa Averinos

I am just back from a great trip to Austin to attend QuiltCon 2015. The quilts in the show were fabulous. I took some great classes and attended lectures that I'll share more about later. 

Today I want to show you my favorite thing at QuiltCon. There was one quilt that I knew I wanted to see before I ever left home, Face #1 by Melissa Averinos. I watched the construction of this quilt on instagram as she posted photos. Her process is so interesting. After looking at all the quilts this one is a stand out favorite of mine. 

Face #1 by Melissa Averinos.

This is what Melissa says about the quilt:

"After creating a large raw-edge applique self portrait, I challenged myself to make a pieced face quilt, This image was not based on a photograph or drawing and no computers or charts were involved. I drew on my experience as a painter to improvise with fabric squares and rectangles to create the image as I would with painting. I've been making my whole life and when I finished this quilt, I cried with happiness. It's my favorite thing I've ever made."

Here's a close up of one of the eyes.

I love the variation of the fabrics that she used. There are some very old calicos and novelty prints. Look at cat face, and the skeleton print. The overall design really draws you in from across the room, right up close to see the tiny fabric parts. I like that she used older fabrics and those that are not easily recognizable as current "on trend" designer fabrics. 

I had to go back and visit the quilt several times a day. It is just so unbelievably beautifull. 

Melissa, I can't wait to see where your journey takes you next.

Three Kitchen Fairies

We have had some lovely weather this week in Michigan. I've been taking advantage of the cooler drier air by spending time outside reading and even doing a little hand stitching. It's been like a vacation without the hassle of packing and driving.

Paloma, of Three Kitchen Fairies, sent me some of her hexie papers to try and I finally got around to making a project with them. These are one inch on each side. The paper is thinner than the papers I had been using and I love that you can get a thin crisp turned edge with these papers. They are also easier to pop out after stitching. The papers in the photo have been used and are in great condition for using again. If you want to try them yourself you can get the papers here in Paloma's etsy shop. She also has some sweet instant download embroidery patterns. I especially like this one.

A few scraps, aurifil 50 wt thread, and hexie papers are the perfect ingredients for relaxing afternoon and a pretty transformation for a tea towel. 

Now, I think I need to get some more of these bright tea towels to decorate.

Taking it to the Next Level

My little sewing business seems to be taking off with a few patterns for sale, quilts getting published in magazines and books, custom quilts, and now, the new longarm quilting adventure. I thought it was time for a more "official" look. 

A logo will help take my business to the next level.  

My logo was designed by Sophia Pappas, a freelance designer and illustrator, and a graduate from the College for Creative Studies in Detroit. She was a joy to work with and knew just what I wanted when I didn't! If you are in need of any freelance artwork, I highly recommend her. 

Wordless Wednesday

(the amazing selvedge dress by Ric Rac - seen at spring quilt market)

Modern Quilt Guild Showcase in Houston

I was honored to be a part of the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase which was open during Fall Quilt Market and Festival. It was a wonderful exhibit featuring modern quilts from across the country. I had seen many of the quilts online but it was quite moving to see them all hanging together.

All of the quilts were great but not all of my photographs. It was a challenging lighting situation for me. Here is a selection of quilts from the show.

The Kelp Quilt by Rossie Hutchinson of the Ann Arbor MQG and the Mid Mod Bee (Cheryl Arkison, Amanda Carestio, Debbie Grifka, Rebekah Craft, Robin Ferrier. Lauren Hunt, Blair Stocker, Jacquie Gering, Bernie Olszewski)

Zinnias by Lynn Harris of the Ann Arbor MQG. (So fun to see my quilt hanging next to Rossie's.)

J Rock Star by Victoria Finley Wolfe of the NYC Metro MQG

Ripples by Daniel Rouse of the East Bay MQG

5-HTP Squared by Jen Carlton Bailly of the Portland MQG.

Opposing Triangles by Katie Pedersen of the Seattle MQG, quilted by Krista Withers.

Cantilevers by Jessica Levitt of the Central Jersey MQG.

Building Bridges by Jacquie Gering of the Chicago MQG, quilted by Sheryl Schleicher.

Here's a close up of that amazing matchstick quilting.

Click here to see all the quilts and links to all of the participants. 

The Delightful Melody Miller

The delightful Melody Miller again had my favorite booth at Quilt Market. Here she is with her husband, Greg.

In addition to her new fabric designs for Kokka, she featured her new book,Ruby Star Wrappings which she co authored with Allison Tannery.

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There were projects from the book and vintage goodies sprinkled all around the booth.

 

 

 

 

 

Ruby Star Wrapping is all about how to creatively, and beautifully, wrap gifts in a sustainable, eco friendly way. The book covers all sizes, shapes, and types of gifts. The projects are presented as little recipes that can be made to fit any gift. The directions are minimal and leave the details to your own imagination. That's just what you need when you are using found, saved, and thrifted materials for your wrappings. All of the projects are made with recycled materials and can be used again. You can read what Melody has to say about the book here.

The beautiful photographs in the book were taken by Melody's husband Greg. Allison's husband, Blake, was the art director. It is a wonderful collaborative project.

I sat down with the book last night and ended up reading it cover to cover - from the dedication all the way through to the end. Ok, so I didn't read all of the directions but I thoroughly enjoyed Allison's introduction to each project.

Miss P likes it too. She has looked through it and marked her favorite pages. It inspired her to make a few felted balls from some wool yarn and dig through the button bin this afternoon.

Architextures - by Carolyn Friedlander

I'm back from a whirlwind trip to Quilt Market in Houston. I have LOTS to share with you so expect some market posts in the next few weeks. I have a number of new books to read and review for you as well as some fun new fabrics.

Today, I'll start with the HOTTEST thing I saw at market, Carolyn Friedlander's Architextures line with Robert Kaufman.  Debbie and I gasped when we walked into her school house presentation and saw the box of mini samples they were giving away. We snatched some up as quick as we could!  It's a good thing I packed those hexy papers for the plane so I could start sewing with this right away.

I think these fabrics are super awesome, they are great together and I can see them going in many different projects as a texture print or blender. The landscape drawings, the topography maps, the ledger print.... It is all to die for! 

I also purchased the block of the month pattern for her Local quilt. I hope to teach a class for this when Brenda open's her brick and mortar Pink Castle shop.

I loved Carolyn's booth set up too.

Look at her cute shirts quilt. I love the way she used the reverse side of the fabric for the inside neck part of the shirt. So clever.These prints really draw you in for a closer look at the quilts. 

Do you see the quilting in this border? It kills me dead. So. Very. Good.Carolyn was also sporting some great clothes made from her fabrics. I stopped by each day to see her new look. These fabrics will really be great for just about any project. I can hardly wait for YARDAGE. I know I'll be stocking up!

Handmade Holiday - received

I like receiving handmade gifts as much as I like giving them.

This year, B's mom gave us some beautiful embroidered pillowcases. Just look at those pretty satin stitched leaves!

My grandmother used to keep me supplied with embroidered pillowcases but most of the ones she made for me are quite worn and tattered. It is nice to have some fresh cases made by B's mom.
She also knows that purple, green, and gold is my one of my favorite color combinations.

Aren't these pretty?

P got this cute beaded snowflake ornament from her cousin, F. She had mentioned when we decorated the tree that handmade ornaments were one of her favorite gifts to receive!

My sister made this soft striped scarf for D. I am sure it will help him stay warm this winter. He doesn't much like hats because they don't fit well over a pony tail so a scarf is good for him.