A whole lotta pink

It's safe to say I have a difficult relationship with the color pink. But I just got this quilt from my grandma and hardly even noticed the pink, it's that awesome.

My grandma says the quilt is an antique. I'm not sure how old that means, and there's no label or anything. It's an alphabet sampler that's been in my grandma's possession for at least 20 years. It used to lay on a twin bed in my grandparents' guest bedroom and I remember studying it for long stretches of time as a girl, figuring out the pictures, and discerning how they were made.

Seeing it again fills me with emotion. I can't wait till our daughter has a bigger bed (it dwarfs her teeny toddler bed) so she can use it. I'm so honored that my grandma gave it to us. When I received it I checked with her that she was ok with us giving the quilt daily use, knowing that it would inevitably see further wear. She said, "Well, I don't see much point to this whole thing if no one uses the quilts we make." I love it! My thoughts exactly.

I think about my own style of applique and how surely this quilt was one of the first appliqued quilts I'd ever seen. I love non-fussy pictorial applique and maybe this quilt has something to do with it. Primacy is powerful.

The piecing and applique and embroidery are all done by hand. It is machine quilted. I wonder about the person who took all these tiny stitches by hand. Was she making it for someone she loved? Did she get to complete her quilt or did the top find its way into another quilter's hands?

The fabric is so very soft, as old quilts get. Most of the colors are still vivid but the green of this tree has faded away completely.

My daughter is already enjoying identifying the pictures. And hiding under it.

I recently learned Grandma's visiting the blog regularly now, so I want to say again, thank you so much Grandma! What a beautiful, loving gift. Thank you for introducing me to the world of quilting, for sending me your scraps, for knowing about everything cool before I do, and for always being so encouraging about the quilts I make. I'm so lucky to know you, learn from you and be loved by you.

Meaning

Everything around me seems to have meaning right now. Even the uncomfortable stuff. I feel like I am in living a giant poem. I don't know how long the poem is or what the rhymes will be, but I expect it will turn out beautiful and perfect somehow.

You are allowed to remind me of this next week when I whine about the things that I whine about.

I enjoyed reading and responding to the thoughtful and intriguing comments on the words quilter and artist. If you have time you might want to read them all here. If you left a comment and didn't get a response from me you are a no-reply blogger! If you want to change that, here's how.

I had a hand stitching marathon and the top of the wedding quilt is finished. With all this stitching I've really gotten back in my applique groove. My stitches got faster and smaller as I worked! I can tell by looking at the back which ring was stitched first and which last.

Next I need to complete the quilt back. My intent was to use the rest of the odd sized wedding fabrics for the back. That is going to be soooo much more work than just using yardage. I really want to complete this by July for our anniversary and I do need to leave time to quilt it. I'm going to decide on the back this week and get busy either way. I hope you are all having a good week, quilters, artists, quilter/artists, artist/quilters, quilter/engineer/artists and human/friends.

Quilters and artists

I said I would make this, and I did! Alas, it came out the wrong size. I fear I cannot be trusted to print things correctly off the internet. Oh well.

My grandma recently said something to me about my quilting. It went like "You can do that sort of thing because you're an artist". I asked if she thought of herself as an artist and she said "I wasn't raised that way". It made me stop.

Hmmm. What do you think quilters? Are we artists?

I definitely consider myself a quilter, because it gives me a sense of kinship with all you other quilters. It connects me to the quilters who came before me, and the ones who will come after us. It means something. I make quilts. I am a quilter.

But I also like thinking of myself as an artist. It gives me a little breathing room. It lets me give up whatever assumptions about quilting don't suit me. That quilting must have precision. That quilts are always made of blocks. That if you don't know how to do this or that then you're not a "good" quilter. When I think of myself as an artist it allows me to define my art form, my standards for my work, whether or not I am advancing, and in what direction.

I've seen and used and loved my grandma's quilts and I'd say she's an artist. How about you? Are you a quilter, artist, both?

Tutorial: Fabric envelopes

I've made these fabric interoffice-style envelopes with one goal in mind: FLATness. All the methods I've employed were to make them flat flat flat like a real envelope. Feel free to adapt it to your own needs and do what works for you! (a post about my inspiration is here)

In addition to your standard sewing supplies you need:

• A mailing envelope opened up to use as your pattern
• A pen or pencil
• a fat quarter of fabric for the outside of the envelope
• a scrap of fabric about 4 x 10 inches for the inside flap
• A fat-quarter sized piece of stiff fusible stabilizer. I had some Pellon decor bond so I used that.
• Steam a Seam 2, 1/4" wide, or other skinny fusible web
• Fabric glue
• A bit of string or ribbon about 13" long
• 2 buttons

Trace around your envelope onto the non-fusible side of your stabilizer. Cut out. Don't worry about wrinkles or folds.

Iron the stabilizer to the wrong side of your main fabric, making sure there aren't any little threads between them that might show through. Trim off the excess fabric.

Now find the middle of the top flap and make a mark there on the stabilizer. Glue one inch of your string here.

Now you'll be gluing down your contrast fabric for the inside flap. I put glue all around the flap edge and along the bottom of the scrap of fabric. After this picture I smeared the glue thin with my finger using a light touch so the glue wouldn't soak through.

I pressed it to make sure it was as flat as possible. Then I added a little glue along the sides where they weren't already glued down.

Flip it over so you can cut off the excess lining fabric without chopping off your string. Use a close zigzag to finish the edges.

Then start folding. I would suggest pressing down the top flap first so you get it nice and flat without having to iron it over the other stuff. I figured this out after I'd already missed my chance to do it this way.

Use the Steam a Seam to join the center seam and then the bottom flap.

Sew your buttons by hand, one to the top flap, one just below. It's easier to keep your stitches neat on the reverse if you use two-hole buttons.

I'd say it took me about an hour to make one. Well, one hour and one week because I didn't like any of my buttons at home and had to make a special trip to the sewing store.

I am trying to think of something awesome to give to someone awesome in one of these awesome envelopes now. If you make one I hope that you feel like a rock star when you use it!

A tactic

Today I figured out a way to get a straight on picture of a largeish quilt without the cooperation of any tall people.

Mother nature's cooperation is still required. And one must impress upon all short people present the necessity of staying off the quilt for just-a-minute-while-mama-takes-a-picture.

But it works! I didn't want to keep the discovery to myself - hope it helps someone else!

Modern Log Cabin Quilting book winner

It's MissMary of Lillian's Stitches blog!

Thanks again to Susan Beal and Potter Craft for hosting the giveaway. The Portland Modern Quilt Guild got to hear Susan's great presentation on the history and possibilities of this block at tonight's meeting and it was wonderful!

I've spent most of this week burning grilled cheese sandwiches and sewing things up at the wrong size so I'm gonna go drown my sorrows in some strawberries.

Modern Log Cabin Quilting

Today is a blog tour stop for the book Modern Log Cabin Quilting by Susan Beal. 

Susan is a new friend and fellow member of the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. When she asked if I would like to host a stop on the blog tour I said yes on one condition: that I could hold her adorable infant son at the next PMQG meeting. Susan played along with my crazy baby holding schemes and I'm honored to get to share her book with you!

The book includes an exploration of the log cabin block's history, variations and settings. Basic instructions for log cabin blocks are included, and then projects with specific instructions follow. This quilt is one of my favorites:

Susan brought it to a guild meeting, and the group gasped when she showed it!

The book includes large quilts...

and smaller projects...

Susan embraces a variety of patchwork styles and skill levels. I enjoyed her eclectic use of fabrics and surprising settings. Susan helps you see just how versatile the log cabin block is for its ease and speed and shares some variations you might have never considered, like the quilt on the cover. Yes, it's made from log cabin blocks!

We are lucky to have Susan presenting at this month's PMQG meeting on April 21st. If you're in town you should join us! In town or not, I'm pleased to say that Potter Craft is sharing a copy of Modern Log Cabin Quilting for me to give away here. To enter the drawing, please leave a comment below! I'll draw the winner on Wednesday April 20th.