Contemporary Quilting with Alison

New life for unfinished quilts - by Quilting Arts

2012-01-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

Though I've fallen quite far behind in quilting, and haven't done much lately, I do subscribe to the lovely Quilting Daily newsletter, and found today's article quite inspirational. I'm one of these quilters who loves to start projects, but hates finishing them.

That's unfortunate, since the quilting is my favorite part.

At any rate, today's blog post by Vivika, "New Life for Your UFOs with Re-imagined Quilt Designs," is simply fantastic. You must check it out! There's a new DVD of Save My UFO [unfinished object] (as seen Quilting Arts TV) that show these segments, available for preorder from the Interweave store, and also a gallery, where you can get advice on your own UFOs.

Check out Jay McCarroll's shop again...

2011-09-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Some fantastic new stuff has arrived to Jay McCarroll's shop! (Remember Jay from Project Runway?) Two of my favorites are:

The Stockholm dress (so 60s!) in colorblocked cream, celery, pink, teal and black (you have to see it to believe it!), which would be fabulous with a pair of funky Mini Zazas by John Fluevog, and
The Sydney skirt in black, baby blue and mustard. It has a pink waistband.

I know, the colors out today in the stores are showing a lot of black and gray, but you need to pick up the latest Vogue and Elle magazine, and you'll see a lot of color.

Please check out my Aunt Greta's Etsy shop!

2011-08-31T08:45:00.000-07:00

Quilted Custom Tote, $30 by Not Just Bags

Check out my aunt's new Etsy shop, Not Just Bags. She has lots of cute make-up bags, scrappy totes and custom pieced totes for your use. I've seen her work--it's really high quality!--and the make-up bags are priced at just $10, and the totes just $30. Her work is a labor of love, and you'll get a big does of it when you buy one of her pieces of art.

Thanks for looking, and adding her to your favorites and your circle.

Yardage Town specials

2011-03-16T15:06:00.000-07:00

On St. Patrick's Day, March 17, 2011, you can save 50% on all cotton prints through noon only at the Yardage Town. Also, add some luxury silk shantung to your quilt at 50% off, too.

My local YT has the most lovely selection!

IF you haven't been to Yardage Town before, you can use this coupon to save 20% off your first purchase.

The Artful Bird: Feathered Friends to Make + Sew - Interweave

2011-01-07T06:43:00.000-08:00

Photo property of Interweave Press.

The Artful Bird: Feathered Friends to Make + Sew - Interweave

I saw this adorable-looking book on the Quilting Daily newsletter this morning, and I'm just totally in love with that yellow peacock. How cute is he? Plus, I can see myself creating Hedwig, from Harry Potter, a special chicken for a certain special friend of mine, and a flamingo for another special friend.

And come on--those crows are just too much! How fun would they be for Halloween decorations?

I'm really tempted!

Fabric.com sale - Cotton Prints for $3.95 per yard

2010-11-16T07:10:00.000-08:00

Michael Miller Whimsy Large Doozie Turquoise

Fabric.com is having a sale on over 800 items, including Michael Miller and Moda, and just $3.95 per yard. Get free shipping on orders of $35 or more, too. (No coupon codes are needed!)

Offer ends at midnight EST on 11/22.

Specials at Fabric.com

2010-10-21T08:54:00.000-07:00

Several specials at Fabric.com have come up:

Download your free pattern, Mama-San Apron, no strings attached! See the rest of their free patterns here.
Fall Frenzy sale: 50% off select cotton prints, including Moda, Kaufman, Fabri-Quilt and more (through 10/25 only)
$1.95 clearance items have been restocked, which includes broadcloth prints, holiday crafts, stickers and trim

Big sale at Memory Lane Quilt Shop in Santee, CA

2010-10-19T08:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite local quilt shops, Memory Lane Quilt Shop, is having a big sale this weekend, October 23-24--very tempting:

All panels, select layer cakes, charm packs and jelly rolls are on sale, mix and match as follows:

Buy 1 take 25% off
Buy 2 take 30% off
Buy 3 take 35% off
Buy 4 take 40% off
Buy 5 take 50% off

Additionally, selected fabrics will be marked 30% off as well. This shop has a great selection of batiks, too, so if you're into that, you should stop by just to see. And their quilt of the month patterns are terrific!

Memory Lane Quilt Shop
225-C Town Center Parkway
Santee, CA 92071

Hours on the weekend are 9:30 am to 5:00 pm Saturday and 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Sunday.

Save 30% at Quilt In A Day!

2010-09-27T08:20:00.000-07:00

As a thank-you to all participants in the Symphony of Quilting Challenge, Eleanor Burns is offering 30% off all non-sale items on her websites. Use the code BABYLOCK in the coupon code when you check out. Plus orders of $100 or more ship free, and orders of $50 or more get a free gift. This offer is valid through October 30, 2010, and can't be used on furniture, classes or retreats.

Her websites are QuiltInADay.com and EleanorBurns.com, where you can find books, DVDs, fabric and kits, thread, patterns, and many other quilting supplies.

Also, visit her website to download a free pattern. This page is updated regularly, so visit it often.

San Diego Quilt Show!

2010-09-15T19:13:00.000-07:00

The 29th annual San Diego Quilt Show is taking place at the San Diego Convention Center this Thursday, Friday and Saturday (September 16-18, 2010).

Show hours are Thursday and Friday from 10 am - 6 pm and Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm.

Admission is $8 for a single day pass, and $12 for a three-day pass, for attendees 11 years and over. Children 4-10 years are $5 and children 3 and under are free.

The show includes hundreds of quilts on display, a charity raffle, sales booths, vendors, exhibits, cloth doll displays, a quilting bee, wearable art and the 2009 fashion challenge.

For complete information, visit the San Diego Quilt Show website.

Treasures from the attic

2010-09-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

This is a quilt my friend Stacy received from her mother this past summer. A little background first:

Stacy was expecting her first baby when the package arrived (in fact, Ella just arrived on Sunday!). Her mother, who is in Minnesota, sent her a package of gifts from friends there (from her shower) to her home here on the west coast.

When Stacy opened the package, she was delighted to find two treasures. This is the first one: the quilt Stacy's mom made for her when Stacy was born. I find it absolutely charming.

Stacy actually remembers her older brother having a suit made from the red gingham. The appliqué is done perfectly, and the colors are bright and bold primary colors--the patterns are solid and gingham. Simple, 1970s and utterly perfect.

The rickrack trim adds texture and character, and the wide red border gives weight to the design.

I have to say--Stacy is a lucky mom, and Ella a lucky little girl--to have this treasure in her family. We were able to gently clean this gorgeous quilt, and it's as fresh, bright and bold as new.

Visit the Fashion Doll Review

2010-09-10T09:36:00.000-07:00

My other blog has been devoted to my obsession with dolls, sewing for dolls, and modifying them. It ranges from vintage Barbie to 16" Tonner fashion dolls to ball-jointed dolls. Check it out for some inspiration!

Click these links to let me know when you visit with a link back to your site.

The photo here shows a a Rose Fairy costume I made for my ball-jointed doll made in Korea by a company called Peak's Woods. Her name is Mintie, and she stands almost 23" tall.

The Fashion Doll Review is set up to keep you informed on the latest and greatest in doll collecting, plus we feature sewing projects and doll crafts as well as some of the more humorous aspects of doll collecting.

When I say "we," I refer to an eclectic group of contributors who submit articles to the blog. We're a pretty diverse group of collectors.

Check out this blog...

2010-09-10T09:21:00.001-07:00

What a lovely crazy quilt Altered Trading Card I came across while browsing today. It's quite lovely! What a great way to use up all these extra scraps...

Another blog of interest

2010-09-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

If you love contemporary quilting, be sure to check out Quilting Arts blogs. It's packed with great inspiration and ideas. (Sign up for their newsletter, too!)

The most recent article discusses design ideas to help you improve your art. Frankly, I'm blown away by the "Trees" quilt by Lyric Kinard. It's just beautiful. Makes me want to get out my supplies right now!

Enjoy!

Quilt Visions in San Diego

2010-06-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Are you planning a trip to southern California this summer? Stop by the Quilt Visions Gallery while you're here. The gallery is open Tuesday through Sunday, from 10 am to 4 pm (closed on major holidays), and is located at 2825 Dewey Rd, Ste 100, San Diego 92106.

Through July 25, you can experience the Three Voices exhibit, featuring art quilts by Katherine K. Allen, Valerie Goodwin and Kent WIlliams. Beginning August 6, 2010, you will be able to experience Transformations: Reflections, a Studio Art Quilt Associates exhibit.

Check out other news and events here, as well.

Quilting Arts Magazine - Free trial issue

2010-05-31T09:28:00.000-07:00

If you love contemporary quilting, mixed media techniques, thread painting, embellishments, felting, hand-dyeying fabrics and more, Quilting Arts Magazine is for you. This colorful magazine is one of my personal favorites--it includes wonderful samples, easy-to-follow instructions, and amazing inspirational ideas that you can use on your own quilts, bags, wall hangings and more.

See more about Quilting Arts on their website.

You can get a trial issue here.

Free admission to the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival in Del Mar, CA!

2010-05-07T15:02:00.000-07:00

Visit the Quilt, Craft and Sewing website to download a coupon for yourself (and all your sewing buddies) who are somewhat local to Del Mar, CA (just north of San Diego) for free admittance to the Quilt, Craft and Sewing Festival on May 20-22, 2010 at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in Bing Crosby Hall. This is a direct link to the PDF coupon. Free admission is part of their "recession busting efforts." You can also make a copy of the coupon.

The hours are Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 10 am - 5 pm. And they advertise early buying privileges if you arrive early on Thursday. Your ticket is good for all three days.

I attended last year, and they certainly had lots of fun stuff, included fabric, quilting kits, sewing and embroidery machines, other crafts and special deals. I think I'll try to go this year also.

New BasicGrey fabric by Moda

2010-05-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to see that new BasicGrey fabric will be available this month (May 2010) by Moda. It's a lovely Christmas collection that matches their scrapbook paper line, called Fruitcake. Wonderful vintage colors and prints, the sample I show here is of course the property of United Notions/Moda.

Other fabric lines that are also available by BasicGrey are Eva and Blush. Eva is a lovely combination of brown, pink, rose and a pop of lime green. They contain prints such as stripes, woodgrain, florals, dots, large pheasants, lace, and paisley.

Blush is a wonderful blend of large leaf prints, florals, birds, dots, swirls, feathered paisley, and elegant script. The colors are an antique feeling: blush, rose, powder blue, chocolate, burgundy, and just a hint of mint. Here is a link to a free pattern that uses the Blush collection.

More free quilt block patterns at Quilt Blocks Galore

2010-05-04T09:15:00.000-07:00

There are lots of free quilt block patterns for private home use on the pages of Marcia Hohn of The Quilter's Cache.

Please be sure to read the Terms of Use page before downloading any of the patterns. You won't have the license to make any of your quilts for sale, or any other commercial use, when using these patterns. Read them carefully, and make sure you understand.

Save 25% off everything at the Colony

2009-11-30T14:07:00.000-08:00

Use the code cybermonday when you check out, and save 25% off your entire order from Jay McCarroll's web store. This includes women's and men's apparel, body & soul, items on sale, accessories, decorate and fabric!

This code is only valid today, Cyber Monday, November 30, 2009. So don't wait!

Jay McCarroll Update...

2009-07-30T09:03:00.000-07:00

Jay McCarrol will be carrying fabric (did I hear also some knits?) on his website, for those of you who are having a hard time getting your hands on it.

Check him out on Facebook and become a fan!

Urban Couture quilt

2009-03-07T15:02:00.001-08:00

I finally finished (well, not finally, it didn't really take me that long) a quilt using the Urban Couture jelly rolls I picked up at Beverly's. These are designed by BasicGrey and is produced by Moda. I also used a brown and red Fairy Frost prints (Michael Miller) as accent fabrics and backing. In addition, I used a solid lavender dupioni silk, which I pleated in two strips as a dimensional accent, and a gold cotton/silk blend (I believe by Robert Kaufmann) for the outer border. I used brown Moda bias binding (which I actually buy by the roll now) to complete the quilt.

The pattern is my own. Basically, I assembled the Jelly Roll into strips of five strata, and then cut them into large right triangles. I then sewed those into squares, using Fairy Frost and an extra BasicGrey brown print, and arranged them as I desired.

For quilting, I did straight-line quilting on top of the BasicGrey patterns. Then, I did free-motion quilting throughout all the brown areas, to make the dark areas recede. After adding the binding, I also added some iridescent beads to the centers of each large flower in the brown floral print for added dimension. (I think I'd skip this part, also--too labor intensive, and it doesn't add much to the overall look of the quilt.)

The quilt is about 70" square, finished. If I were to make this pattern again, I think I'd only sew strips of three to four strips together when making the strata, so the squares didn't end up quite so large. I really love the shine silk gives to quilts, though the dupioni frays like crazy. It helped that I used my serger on the edges.

BasicGrey fabrics by Moda

2009-02-18T12:49:00.000-08:00

I'm in love, love, love with a new fabric line by Moda. Designed by BasicGrey, an industry leader in the world of scrapbooking, these often muted tones carry over perfectly to quilts. Two lines are available, and I recommend them for any beginning to advanced quilter! The prints range from Asian-inspired collage to simple brush-stroke solids.

Urban Couture: An ultra-modern collection of orange, gold, browns, deep red, periwinkle and mint that will remind you of autumn. Moda has a fun, paper-pieced PDF quilt pattern to try for free listed on its website.
Sultry: A springy collection of roses, greens and browns make up this soft, feminine collection. You can even try out this fun pattern for free. (I've made braided quilts before, and they are fun, fast and easy to do!) It is a PDF file, and may take some time to download.
Figgy Pudding: A Christmas collection of traditional colors but contemporary prints: aqua, juniper, brown and burgundy. I get a warm and toasty feeling when I see these prints--I just adore them!

These delicious fabrics are available by the yard, in yard assortments, in fat quarter assortments, in Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes and charm packs. So far, I've only managed to pick up Urban Couture, and I've started my first quilt using Jelly Rolls. I'm adding silk to my design as well. I can't wait to post my results!

Jay McCarroll's new quilting fabrics by FreeSpirit!

2009-02-06T08:33:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through this month's Quilting Arts magazine--my all time favorite quilting magazine--and discovered that Jay McCarroll (check out his cool online store!), the winner of season one from Project Runway (a Bravo TV show that I adore) has officially entered the world of quilting with his own quilting fabrics. I love them!

So far, he is showcasing two lines:

Garden Friends: This cheerful and quirky line of bunnies and birds offers a rainbow of prints that zigzag through our spring garden of goodies.
Woodland Wonderland: Another quirky line (that would probably coordinate well with the above line) offers a woody alternative of grays, orange, teal, lime pink and blue, with deer wandering through a forest. The mushroom print is my favorite!

According to the article in Quilting Arts, Jay has more lines in the works--I'm excited to see them. In the meantime, I have my eyes peeled for these fabrics, and am anxious to try them out!

Bargello Christmas Tree Quilt

2009-01-09T10:15:00.000-08:00

This is a Christmas quilt I made for a friend of mine, and almost didn't finish in time for Christmas. It was easy, though a bit time-consuming to come up with right fabrics (particularly the large and small scale pine prints), though that might be because I'm picky about my fabric selection. You can download the PDF file for the pattern for free here (it will take time to get it, since it's a full-color PDF file). I should note here: this is an outside link to Timeless Treasures' website, as the free pattern is copyright by Karen Montgomery and Timeless Treasures, complete with fabric recommendations and yardage requirements.

As you can see, I chose slightly different fabrics for a different feel for this quilt. My tree turned out a bit darker than the pattern, and I chose burgundy and lots of metallic prints for a little flair. (I also skipped the nutmeg colored tree shadow at the base of the tree.)

For quilting, I did a free-motion leafy pattern for the tree, and then a stipple pattern for the background. The back of the quilt is a Michael Miller Fairy Frost in dark brown. (I added a personalized label before quilt assembly.)

I also added some iron-on rhinestones for embellishment as a star topper ornament, and also throughout the quilt, after the quilt was complete.