WIP Wednesday

 *Enter the Fat Quarter Shop Cotton and Steel giveaway here! Ends 3/21/16.*

It's a huge week for quilting around here! I'm awaiting a commission in the mail plus some Aurifil thread; in the meantime, I've found other projects to keep me occupied. Well, really though, my to-make list for the next couple of months is quite long, so I had to organize myself and start somewhere. That's what my Quilter's Planner is for!

I am itching to finish and quilt this for the Rainbow Mini Quilt Swap at Mid-Atlantic Mod retreat in April. Whoever gets mine will be taking home a little bit of trademark me, plus some exciting quilting - can you guess what the next addition will be?

 

In-progress photos are fun.

I'm rushing to finish quilting a quilt for my mom. I don't think my machine has ever run so fast!! She's got a short deadline, but I was still able to teach her how to quilt in the meantime. It was an exciting experience for us to bond through. I talked more about this in yesterday's newsletter and will be sure to discuss more when the quilt is finished. :)

I can't WAIT to share my finished Epic Medallion Quilt with you on Friday!! It's already washed and on our bed! See you then!

Giveaway - Cotton and Steel Bundle from Fat Quarter Shop

 *The giveaway is now closed and the winner is Kathy. She has been emailed. Congrats and thanks, everyone!*

 

Here's another giveaway for you, friends! Fat Quarter Shop, as a new sponsor, is offering up a fat quarter bundle of - yes, you saw right - Cotton and Steel Twilight Basics! These would make or add to a lovely saturated quilt (or would be perfect fabric stash builders!). I personally love using Netorious and Dottie for binding/bias tape and in my scrap quilts (like Mountain Sunset).

You can have one entry for each of the following 3 - just leave a separate comment for each one:

• Follow Quilty Habit via Bloglovin, email, Feedly, Instagram, newsletter, etc. (just let me know one way you follow - P.S. The Wonky Press comes out tomorrow! :) )

• Follow Fat Quarter Shop via Facebook.

• Visit FQS and tell me: which in-stock Cotton and Steel basic would you buy a bolt of, and why? The basics are on pages 4 and 5 of all the C&S fabrics - click here to see.

• For example, I would splurge on a bolt of Netorious in Cloud because it gives my quilts and clothes the perfect amount of sparkle (literally, it sparkles!). See what I mean?

This giveaway will run from 3/14 to 3/21 at 7 pm EST, and it is open internationally. The winner will be chosen using the Random Number Generator - I will email them and post their name here (so please make sure you leave your email if it's not linked to your account. Unfortunately, for the recent Aurifil giveaway, the first winner was unreachable, so I had to pick another winner! Don't let that be you!).

Thanks again to the Fat Quarter Shop! Best of luck in the giveaway! 

P.S. You can always see more about my sponsors and disclosure here. 

New Workshop - Landscape Quilt

I love teaching a quilt that can be made in an infinite number of ways with improvisation. I also enjoy visiting quilt guilds and shops to teach and lecture. Color play is one of my favorite parts of quilting, so all these things combined form my newest workshop!!

(Clockwise from top left: color scheme found on akula kreative; Mountain Sunset quilt based on said color scheme; Sedona quilt based on color scheme from bottom left photo, which was taken in Utah by Renee Hoffman).

The Landscape Quilt Workshop

Gear up to make a quilt inspired by your favorite landscape or color scheme! Using brick by brick improvisation (my version of improvisation with intent), you'll decide on a layout for your quilt and sew your fabrics together in cascade of color. Learn tips and tricks for achieving color gradation, and explore quilting and binding options. Come to class ready to play with fabric and color!

This kind of quilt would be a great gift quilt memorializing a special place someone (or a group of people) visited, or celebrating someone's favorite colors! The options are endless; in class, we will have the pleasure of seeing a range of unique palette choices.

Skill Level: All (should have basic sewing skills)

Skills Taught: Brick by brick improvisation, color gradation/theory, piecing, improvisation mindframe

Length: Runs as a 4 or 6 hour/all day workshop.

If you're interested in booking me or you know someone who might be, please see my newly updated Classes and Lectures page and send me a message via the contact form. I am currently booking from May forward - see my travel schedule here. Feel free to email me at quiltyhabit(at)gmail(dot)com with any questions or use the form!

Let's go make some awesome, colorful, improvisational quilts!

Mountain Sunset - A Finished Quilt

Improvisation is my favorite piecing method; I love the freedom of creating totally unique quilts every time. There are many different ways to improvise but my preferred method is "brick by brick improvisation," my version of improvisation with intent or a plan. What came out of another experiment in this medium is a quilt I'm quite taken by.

See the unicorn? That just happened. Because improv!

When I pulled colors for the Meadow workshop with Lizzy House last summer, I realized I loved them a whole lot. Like, more than one quilt's worth. I mostly cut strips from half yards and fat quarters for the Meadow quilt, and I had significant chunks left over. Instead of throwing them into my scrap bins, I sewed them together almost immediately! That's one way to cut down on scraps, right?