superstar swimbikequilt quilty 2 1024x682 Super Star Quilt in Quilty Magazine

My Super Star Quilt  is in the latest (May/June 2013) Issue of Quilty Magazine!  [We went to Jones Point this morning, and you can see Little Tiny on her big bike in the corner. Love that girl.]

quilty swimbikequilt superstar 6 1024x1024 Super Star Quilt in Quilty Magazine

I loved working with the people at Quilty, and had fun making this baby quilt (36” x 36”).  I went out on a limb a bit with the purple, and I’m so glad that I did.  Super Star is just a single, supersized star block, and I quilted this version in close together, straight lines, which you can see better in the picture below.

superstar swimbikequilt quilty 4 709x1024 Super Star Quilt in Quilty Magazine

I finished this quilt 6 or so months ago, and I’m so happy to have it home in time for a lecture I’m doing this Friday at the Sister’s Choice Quilt Guild in Falls Church, VA. I’m covering two topics–the first is the publishing process (blogs, magazines, and books). Since the guild is a traditional group, they also asked me to talk about the burgeoning quilting style, sometimes called Modern Traditionalism, which blends both modern and traditional blocks and techniques to create something that doesn’t quite resemble either modern or traditional quilts. It is probably the space I feel most comfortable in as a quilter, and a style that I gravitate towards. Yeah, quilts!

superstar swimbikequilt quilty 1024x682 Super Star Quilt in Quilty Magazine

I was hoping to get a picture in front of the Potomac River, but the wind wasn’t super cooperative. This is the first time my 3.5 year old has held up a quilt for me. I had to pay her a quarter.

Posted in Favorite Things, Patterns, Quilts | 2 Responses

swimbikequilt pool favoritethings 921x1024 Favorite Things: Swim, Bike, Run

For the first time since last fall, I managed to swim (x3), bike, and run all in the same week. It made me so happy, especially that one of my swims was in a beautiful (but freezing) outdoor pool. It doesn’t get any better than that for a zen-inducing swim. Add in volunteering at Field Day and the Garden Club, getting a flat (bike) tire in the middle of nowhere on Wednesday and being rescued by not one but two friends, and a couple of afternoons at the pool, and I’d say my tan is coming along just fine.

swimbikequilt bike favoritethings 973x1024 Favorite Things: Swim, Bike, Run

Words of wisdom from this week: If you get a flat tire on Saturday and use your spare tube to fix it (or rather your husband is lovely and fixes it for you), don’t play the odds that you won’t get a flat on Wednesday when you are without said spare tube. I played the odds this week and lost; I was, however, stuck (7 miles from my car) in a very beautiful location, don’t you think?

Anyone know where to buy Kevlar bike tires?

Posted in Favorite Things, Swim, Bike, Run | 5 Responses

LoneStarMini swimbikequilt 1024x779 Lone Star for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge

Several years ago, I thought it would be a great idea to make a Lone Star Mini Quilt for the Doll Quilt Swap. Let’s just say that my imagination had progressed a little faster than my sewing skills, and it was a disaster. I ended up making this 1000 Pyramid (Equilateral Triangle) Mini Quilt, which I loved. When Jennifer from Ellison Lane Quilts asked me if I would participate in her Modern Mini Quilt Challenge *more information at the end of this post!) I knew it was time to revisit the Lone Star.

modern+mini+quilt+2013+button Lone Star for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge

Sometimes it is great to try something new, or difficult, or fussy, on a mini quilt. I think I can safely say that I will never make a throw sized Lone Star Quilt, but I really enjoyed (?) successfully piecing diamonds and trying my hand at Y-seams. I quilted the mini in dense, straight lines, which gives the quilt some texture and distracts from it’s imperfections. (It does not, however, distract from the unfortunate yellow highlighter in the bottom corner. That is the work of my 3 year old. Anyone know how to get highlighter out?)

quiltingdetail modernmini lonestar swimbikequilt 1024x682 Lone Star for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge

To be honest, if I hadn’t taken the Craftsy Precision Piecing Class, I’m not sure I would have attempted the diamonds and Y-seams. I learned some very useful tips, and it is nice to be able to rewind the video-based class to re-watch the trickier steps. Norah McMeeking (the teacher) often uses words like “precision” and “discipline” to describe her methods, which include marking each diamond on all 4 angles. This type of sewing is more slow going than I usually like, but for a mini–I can be precise-ish and disciplined-ish. (This mini is not a project from her class, but it uses techniques from the class.)

Visit the other stops on the Modern Mini Blog Hop here:

June 5: Ellison Lane
June 6: Happy Quilting
June 7: Swim, Bike, Quilt 
June 8: Craft Buds
June 9: From the Blue Chair and Sewing Under the Rainbow 
June 10: The Sewing Chick
June 11: Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle and Fresh Lemons Quilts

*******

Have you made a mini quilt in the last 6 months, or want to make a new one in the next few days? Jennifer shares more information about the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge below:

modern+mini+quilt+2013+button Lone Star for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge

Are you ready for the Modern Mini Challenge?

Here’s the deal. The Modern Mini Challenge is a call to challenge yourself. Try something new: a new technique, a new pattern, a new thread, etc and make a mini quilt.
What’s a mini quilt? It’s a mug rug, a pillow, a wall hanging, a table topper… you get the idea!

Check out the AMAZING minis in last year’s contest! There were over 200 awesome entries!

You don’t have to be an experienced sewist to enter! Don’t let your lack of experience keep you from joining in! I want this event to be fun, encouraging and inspiring- just go for it! Believe in your ability and go CREATE!!
Go be AWESOME!!
Speaking of awesome, there will be fabulous prizes available just for entering! So try your best, pick something fun to create that speaks to you and get sewing

The details:

You can enter any mini quilt that you’ve made within the past 6 months. Remember, a mini quilt can be a mug rug, a mini quilt, a pillow, a table topper, etc. Only one entry per person

Size requirements: must be at least 6″ x 6″ and no bigger than 24″ x 24″. 
You can enter a mini quilt made from your own design or from a pattern. Please give credit to the pattern designer in your description. 
Need some inspiration? Never fear. I’ve got that covered! There’s a snazzy group of quilters ready to share some of their creations to show just how fun a mini can be. The Modern Mini Blog Hop is going on now!

June 5: Ellison Lane
June 6: Happy Quilting
June 7: Swim, Bike, Quilt 
June 8: Craft Buds
June 9: From the Blue Chair and Sewing Under the Rainbow 
June 10: The Sewing Chick
June 11: Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle and Fresh Lemons Quilts

Starting June 12, you’ll be able to link up your entry at Ellison Lane. You’ll have until 5:00 PM EST on June 16 to add your mini quilt. Link from your blog (a NEW post please), your Flickr account or your Threadbias account. Remember, you don’t have to have a blog to enter!
PRIZES! Did she say prizes? For sure! Check out these amazing goodies up for grabs:
modern+mini+challenge+prize+pic Lone Star for the Modern Mini Quilt Challenge
$125 Gift Certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop
$75 Gift Certificate to the Intrepid Thread
$50 Gift Pack of Pellon Products
$50 Box of Coats and Clark Threads
(2) $50 prize packs of Dritz sewing products
$25 Gift Certificate to Christa Quilts
A Bundle of Marblehead fabrics from Fabri-Quilt
The $125 Gift Certificate winner will be chosen by my husband- his is the Wild Card Choice! The other prizes will be awarded by random draw.

So what are you waiting for? Get excited, get creative and get sewing. Challenge yourself and go make something great!

xo,

Jennifer

Posted in Quilts, Sewing + Friends | 11 Responses

8957299807 96d2f9f52e Favorite Things: Swim, BIKE, Run

 

Last Saturday, I rekindled my love of cycling. I haven’t been consistent on the bike for a few years– 2010 was really my banner Swim, Bike, Run year. Since then, there has been a lot more sewing and writing than swimming and biking. I feel the pendulum swinging back a little bit. I have ridden 39 miles in the last few days and what is better, I’ve been happy. Really happy. LIke, giggly, dancing with my kids, up at 6am happy. It’s been refreshing and lovely.

School will be out in two weeks and I think there might be a lot more swimming and biking than sewing this summer. I’ll keep you posted icon smile Favorite Things: Swim, BIKE, Run

p.s. the winner of the NYC themed fabric from Benartex is TennJenny, who said, “Oh, honey. I’m from Tennessee, so I have to say taxi. Thank you for the giveaway — I especially love the black and white buildings print!”  I loved reading your comments about navigating NYC.

Posted in Favorite Things, Swim, Bike, Run | 5 Responses

reversiblesummertote tutorial swimbikequilt bag 744x1024 {reversible} Summer Tote Tutorial + Giveaway
Introducing the {reversible} Summer Tote.  A few months ago,  Benartex sent me several yards of one of their new collections, The Big Apple.  I used a few of the prints to make the perfect summer tote–lightweight, casual,  holds a lot of library books (tested by my 6 year old), and reversible. I ended up making one for my son, one for my daughter’s preschool teacher, and one (slightly bigger one) for me!

nyc bag swimbikequilt tutorial 1022x1024 {reversible} Summer Tote Tutorial + Giveaway

nyc bag tutorial swimbikequilt 1024x682 {reversible} Summer Tote Tutorial + Giveaway
You can find the {reversible} Summer Tote tutorial on the Benartex blog.

benartex bigapple swimbikequilt giveaway 1024x947 {reversible} Summer Tote Tutorial + Giveaway

Benartex has a small collection of novelty prints that are more modern than the rest of their collections.  I’m giving away a fat quarter bundle of The Big Apple by Greta Lynn for Kanvas/Benartex. I love these NYC novelty prints, and think a few are excellent additions to a low volume collection.  The prints  are also available in bright, summery colors (see the subway print below).   The Big Apple is available at Fabric.com, and possibly elsewhere.

tutorial swimbikequilt subway bag nyc 1024x682 {reversible} Summer Tote Tutorial + Giveaway

Visit the Benartex blog and sign up via Google Friend Connect or email, if you desire. Leave a comment here to be entered into the drawing–if you were to visit New York City, do you prefer bike, subway, or taxi?

Happy sewing.

Posted in Tutorials | 151 Responses

river farm gardens 682x1024 Favorite Things: River Farm Gardens

My dad was visiting this past week, and we spent a lot of time at area parks with my 3 year old. If you are local and have little ones who like to ride their bikes, I can’t say enough good things about Jones Point Park.  The National Park Service turned the (often dead space) below the Wilson Bridge into a park with lots of room to ride bikes and play basketball, among other things. Very cool. We also hit up the mega park Clemyjontri, and after he left, one of my personal favorites, River Farm Gardens.

riverfarmgardens swimbikequilt favoritethings 1024x950 Favorite Things: River Farm Gardens

River Farm is the home of the American Horticultural Society and was originally the home of George Washington’s River Farm. It was uncommonly hot and humid that day (welcome to summer in Virginia!) and we went at 3pm with the school’s Garden Club, so it was a bit on the chaotic side. Too sunny for too many pictures, but lots of space to run and play and enjoy the beautiful gardens.

poseypatrol swimbikequilt favroitethings 1024x794 Favorite Things: River Farm Gardens

I went on my own Posey Patrol at the gardens, and enjoyed myself very much! Dana Bolyard from Old Red Barn Co recently started a #poseypatrol hashtag on Instagram, and I love seeing pictures from everyone’s garden (or borrowed garden in my case!)

 

 

Posted in Favorite Things | 3 Responses

girlonaswing swimbikequilt babyquilt 1024x983 Finished Quilt: Girl on a Swing

I love the Girl on a Swing print by designer Aneela Hoey from her first fabric line, Sherbet Pips.  I’ve been saving it for *just* the right project, and I think this is it. I made this quilt several months ago as a sample for a free motion quilting class I have been teaching.  I have been trying to work smarter, not harder, and made the quilt with Maren in mind. I gave it to her at her baby shower this past weekend and am finally sharing the quilt in full here.

girlonaswing swimbikequilt quilting babyquilt 1024x682 Finished Quilt: Girl on a Swing

I quilted each of the rows in a different free motion pattern on my home machine, and since there is so much going on with the quilting, I decided to keep the quilt itself very simple. I started with Girl on a Swing and went through my fabric stash, added in some neutrals and a few pops of color, did a lot of rearranging, and ended with this layout.

quilting swimbikequilt babyquilt 1024x885 Finished Quilt: Girl on a Swing

The quilt is happy without being bright, and interesting without being busy. Perfect for my friend and her new baby!

Posted in Quilts | 13 Responses

It’s that time of year–International Quilt Market & Festival (the semi-annual quilting industry trade show and related festival). This also means that Amy Ellis from Amys Creative Side is hosting the semi-annual Bloggers Quilt Festival.  Anyone can participate by posting a picture of a favorite quilt, writing a bit about it, and linking up to one of the many quilt categories.

low definition quilt swimbikequilt 1022x1024 Bloggers Quilt Festival: The Low Definition Quilt

I’ve posted about this quilt before–I named it Low Definition in a nod to all of the great low volume quilts that are out there right now. I used it to teach a small Introduction to Improv Piecing Class at Capital Quilts in April, and it was just plain fun to make! Sometimes, I think it is important to set aside deadlines, or quilts for other people, and just making something that reminds you how much you love to sew.  I love the colors, the fabrics, the quilting, and the small size!

Low Definition Quilt
40” x 48”
Category: Favorite Baby Quilt
Quilted by me; wavy lines with my walking foot

low definition quilt swimbikequilt 2 943x1024 Bloggers Quilt Festival: The Low Definition Quilt

I’m celebrating Quilt Market from afar with lunch with two of my good quilting friends, Leigh and Laura! And I’m pretty sure I’m going to be stalking Lee’s IG feed all weekend (as well as many  more blogging friends who are in Portland.) I’m equal parts relieved and jealous that I didn’t make the trip.)

Past Bloggers Quilt Festival Posts:

Fall 2012: The Helix Quilt
Spring 2012: Old School Library Quilt
Fall 2011: Garden Windows Quilt
Spring 2011: Strawberry Patch Quilt
Fall 2010: Around the World Quilt
Spring 2010: Community Gardens Quilt
Fall 2009:  Hop, Skip & A Jump Quilt

Posted in Improv Sewing, Quilts, Sewing + Friends | 19 Responses

swimbikequilt pickyourown tryittuesday 1024x682 Favorite Things: Pick Your Own Farms

On Monday we took a quick trip to Shlagel Farms.  Strawberry season always sneaks up on me, and for one reason or another we have never been to a pick-your-own strawberry farm. When strawberry-picking Instagram pictures started popping up in our feeds, my friend Tricia and I planned a quick trip.  The strawberries were delicious, the kids had fun, we didn’t get muddy, and we only hit traffic one way. I’d call that a success! And I’m happy to say, the strawberries have vanished.

Note: I’m posting Favorite Things on Thursday instead of Friday this week–tomorrow is the start of the Blogger’s Quilt Festival. Please check back tomorrow for my Quilt Festival post!

Posted in Favorite Things | Leave a comment

precisionpiecing swimbikequilt fullmoonlagoon 984x1024 Works in Progress: Precision Piecing

I tried a Lone Star quilt a few years ago with disastrous results! I’m hoping the techniques that I learned Precision Piecing Class on Craftsy will give me better results this time. Here is a start! I hope to start sewing the diamonds together this evening.  [Thanks to Faith for the beautiful Full Moon Lagoon fabric].  The giveaway is still open–you can enter below!

Giveaway Information:

Enter the giveaway for the Precision Piecing Class here. You can use your existing Craftsy login or sign up for a Craftsy account to enter! One entry per person please.  The giveaway will be open until Friday, May 17 at 10pm ET. If you have trouble seeing the giveaway page, use Firefox as your browser.

 

8253389546 fdb631e427 o Works in Progress: Precision Piecing

Posted in Works In Progress | 3 Responses
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