Make it Modern Challenge Quilt

A few months ago, the Rhode Island Modern Quilt Guild issued a "make it modern" challenge.  Our task was to take something from traditional quilting and update it for the modern aesthetic.

Here's my project:

I updated flying geese with modern colors, a wonky layout, and some punchy sass. This was my first time trying a different kind of quilting - an overall pattern with a section where something different is going on: the little rebel goose who is flying away from the pack has her own trajectory of quilting lines.

My favorite part of this quilt: definitely the black and white fabric.  I love how it looks as a binding.  And I have more!

My Wedding Quilt

Quilts are at the heart of it all for me.  They represent so many things - comfort, love, family, tradition, creativity, self-expression, joy, and coziness.

So naturally quilts had to have a role in my wedding.

I already posted the quilts that I created to thank my wedding party.  But there was another significant quilt that was part of the big wedding planning process: my own wedding quilt.

A fellow member of my quilt guild shared at a guild meeting that she made a quilt guest book for her daughter's wedding, and I filed this away in my "must do" ideas long before Ian and I were engaged.

Our guests wrote on pre-cut fabric squares backed in freezer paper (for stabilization) with fabric pens.  Some wrote sweet notes, some wrote silly sayings, and some drew adorable scenes for us.  Then they displayed them on clothesline for everyone to admire.

It was so fun to read them all once we got home, and to start thinking about how we would lay them out!  I used a program called Threadbias to envision some possibilities...

And once we decided on a design, it didn't take long to piece it together.

The quilt is traveling now to a few homes of loved ones who couldn't make it to the wedding, or were so busy dancing and chatting that they didn't make it over to the guest book.  In the meantime, I'll work on the back and hopefully have it ready to cozy up our bed before the winter!

ArtSpark Challenge Quilt

A few months ago, the Northwest Ohio Modern Quilt Guild issued a challenge to all modern quilters: visit an art museum, and create a quilt inspired by any piece that catches your eye.

And boy, do I love a good challenge!  I visited the RISD Museum's Artist/Rebel/Dandy: Men of Fashion, and this photograph immediately jumped out at me:

Tamagni-Willy Covari, Brazzaville (source)

Here is my finished quilt:

This quilt was so fun to make!

Happy Birthday to the RI Modern Quilt Guild!

I had an excuse to break in my beautiful new Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer this weekend (isn't she a beaut in green apple?):

The Rhode Island Modern Quilt Guild celebrated our first birthday!  When I started the group last year, I wondered "Could there be one or two other people in Rhode Island who are interested in modern quilting?"  Now, we have a mailing list of nearly 100 members, and draw about 20 people to each of our monthly meetings.  Even on gloriously beautiful beach days.  In Rhode Island, that's really saying something.

Convening with a creative community is so powerful.  I have grown so much this year as a quilter because of the inspiration, resources, and accountability that are available to me as a member of this group.

As a thank you, the guild's co-leader (Tara) and I baked us a fancy birthday cake!

And would you believe it?  Those sweet, thoughtful members made me a surprise wedding gift!  A collaborative quilt!  Members made blocks, Tina pieced them together, Sue quilted it, and Tara did the binding.

 

Not only does this community bring me all kinds of creative inspiration - it also helped me find my new friend Tara.  It's been a long time since I've made a new friend.  Tara came to one of our meetings, and we immediately hit it off.  She makes the most incredible custom quilts through her creative business, Ewe Have Me in Stitches - you dream it, and she makes it a reality.  Check out her fabulous Etsy Shop here.  

Happy Birthday, RI Modern Quilt Guild!  May year two be even more fruitful and amazing than year one!

Madrona Road Challenge Quilt

A couple of months ago, the Modern Quilt Guild issued a challenge to its members: create a quilt using only the Madrona Road fabric line from Michael Miller, along with solid fabrics.  Here's my answer to the call:

I was inspired by one of the prints in the line to create a large herringbone design.  This is part of my attempt to make my quilt fronts more like my quilt backs...since my quilt backs are usually everyone's favorite!  I love the cleanness of how this design came out.

Here's the back - an improvised design using the leftover fabrics.  You might recognize the prints, since I used them in the tiny house quilt that I made a few weeks back for my brother and sister-in-law's housewarming gift.  I love how these colors go together!

This quilt gave me the opportunity to try out some of the new free-motion quilting designs from the books I got at Christmas.  I used pebbles in the sashing, and allover boxes for the rest of the quilt.  It was fun!

Thanks to my girlio Monica for helping out with this photo shoot!

Creative Community

my first cathedral window, for the pincushion swap, from this tutorial

Over the weekend, the Rhode Island chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild met for our monthly meeting.  I started the group back in June, and it's one of the weekend activities that I most look forward to.  We had seventeen people in attendance, who all brought projects and tips to share with each other.  This month, we did a pincushion swap - so everyone came away from the meeting with a handmade gift.  

I learn so much from everyone in the group, and always come away from the meetings ready to spend the rest of the weekend in my studio sewing.  

Isn't it lovely to be part of a creative community?  It's like recharging my inspiration battery.  And of course, sharing my own energy and excitement for quilting with others.