New Patterns!

Popping in to announce that I'm working on a series of seasonal quilted pillow patterns! Spring and Summer are already available on Etsy or Craftsy. My Etsy shop is 30% off through the 14th with code SUMMERFUN. I'm so excited about the different designs of these two sets and can't wait to finish up the fall and winter versions. The fall one is going to use some lovely woven plaids.

Why pillows? I love a big ol' snuggly quilt, of course, but I am busy and want (need!) the satisfaction of finishing something. I know I'm not the only super busy quilter out there! Pillows are a great way to make a manageable quilt project. They come together quickly, don't require a ton of fabric, don't need to be sent out to be quilted, and still add a big punch to living spaces. I feel like we actually use our quilted pillows more than our throws anyway.

It's fun to make little changes with the seasons, without giving everything a full bore holiday look. Pillows are perfect to change out with a removable cover that makes them store flatly and not take up too much space.

Synapse Quilt for the MQG

The new pattern I designed for the Modern Quilt Guild just launched today! I'm so excited because I love this quilt. It takes a classic, simple plus shape and makes it something special with the pops of bright pink, the scrappy fabrics and spacial relationships.

The pattern is called Synapse. It's named after the minute gaps between brain cells. This quilt has thin sashing between the plus blocks, creating an interesting visual tension. The dynamic pops of pink make your attention dart from block to block, like nerve impulses sending signals from one cell to another. The circular quilting defines each cell. The end result is one eye-catching and elegant quilt. That connection between this quilt and brain synapses was inescapable to me.

I love being part of the MQG and am so happy they chose my design to be part of this program. The free quilts they offer every month are amazing. The membership is worth it for so many reasons already, and getting these every month is just icing on the cake. I belong to the Denver Metro MQG chapter. They are a fun and incredibly talented bunch!

Christine Perrigo did the quilting on it. She said circles and we both immediately jumped to doing the rings around the blocks. She designed this and it is just perfect! It is amazing to have her insight and amazing quilting skills. I love this quilt all the more for her being a part of it!

Anyone who is a member of the MQG can get the pattern for free! Yay!!!!

Good Vibrations in Quilts and More

Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

I'm so excited to announce my first ever pattern published in a magazine! The project I designed (and sewed and even quilted myself!) is called Good Vibrations and can be found in the Fall 2014 Quilts and More. It's a little modern, will look fantastic in many different fabrics, and is very easy to piece. The small lap-sized quilt definitely packs a visual punch. The issue should hit the newsstands on August 12.

Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

I even made the cover, down there on the lower right! You can see the other featured projects from this issue, here: www.allpeoplequilt.com/fall There are some excellent ones. I'm definitely making a Petite Chic quilt (by Emily Herrick of Crazy Old Ladies) for my cousin's yet to be born baby out of a layer cake from my stash.

It is an amazing full-circle moment for me since that magazine division cannot be more responsible for me getting into quilting. I freelanced for them right out of college where the then editor Heidi Kaisand encouraged me to borrow one of their sewing machines, and the rest is history. I wrote about it a bit more, years ago, in another post.

Used with permission from Quilts and More magazine. 2014 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.

I have to say a special thank you to Art Gallery for the gorgeous fabrics. If anyone is interested in copying this look, they are Carnaby St. by Pat Bravo along with some of their basics. I know I can still get these prints at one of my LQS, and some of them have been added to their basics lines and coordinate with some of their newer collections, too. I'm a huge Art Gallery fan! Their fabrics sew like butter and they have some of my favorite fabric designs, plus they have a deep selection of lovely basic prints.

Essential Guide to Modern Quiltmaking Blog Tour

I am excited to introduce Lucky Spool’s Essential Guide to Modern Quilt Making and tell you a little bit about my chapter.

The coolest thing about this book is that it is not just a project book, although there are killer projects included. It is an education in modern quilting techniques. This book is deep in content. Each contributor has shared their expertise on a subject, like alternate grid work, working with solids or prints, quilting, improv piecing and more. To top it off, there is all the eye candy in the large gallery of modern quilts.

The sheer amount of information and inspiration makes this an essential reference book for any quilter, especially those who enjoy modern quilting or are curious about trying it.

I am thrilled to contribute Chapter 1: Principles of Color. Most of all, I hope the chapter will help you gain confidence in choosing a color scheme, applying colors to your quilt designs and understand color in a way that opens doors to creative expression.

I walk you through my approach to color theory, which might be a bit different than what you have learned. I start out with defining the three most important principles of working with color, then go over how to utilize these principles to your advantage (which doesn’t have as much to do with the color wheel as you may have been taught). Speaking of the color wheel, I don’t even recommend using the traditional red/yellow/blue color wheel. I’ve included a useful troubleshooting guide at the end of my chapter to help you with specific color issues that many quilters experience.

Color Play Quilt Project 

I’ve designed this quilt project to help even a beginning quilter experiment with color principles. I love this quilt for its striking design and simplicity, which creates an ideal framework for changing up the colors. Your color choices will completely alter the mood of the quilt.

Blog tour bonus! 

Here are some examples of other directions you could take the color, to get your wheels turning, along with a free Color Play coloring sheet to download, print and color in.

Special discount

Get the book at 20% off at the Taunton store with the coupon code EGQM20. The discount is good for your entire purchase through July 27.

Visit the other authors, too! 

Check out this amazing list of who is in the book and their chapters. Here is the blog tour schedule:

6/23  //  Chapter 1: Principles of Color  //  Teacher: Kari Vojtechovsky (you are here!)

6/24  //  Chapter 2: Working with Solids  //  Teacher: Alissa Haight Carlton (Handmade by Alissa)

6/25  //  Chapter 3: Working with Prints  //  Teacher: Dan Rouse (Piece and Press)

6/26  //  Chapter 4: Improvisational Patchwork  //  Teacher: Denyse Schmidt (dsquilts.com)

6/27  //  Chapter 5: The Alternate Grid  //  Teacher: Jacquie Gering (Tallgrass Prairie Studio)

6/30  //  Chapter 6: Circles and Curves  //  Teacher: Cheryl Arkison (Dining Room Empire)

7/01  //  Chapter 7: Paper Piecing  //  Teacher: Penny Layman (Sew Take a Hike)

7/02  //  Chapter 8: Large-Scale Piecing  //  Teacher: Heather Jones (Olive and Ollie)

7/03  //  Chapter 9: Modern Machine Quilting  //  Teacher: Angela Walters (Quilting is My Therapy) 

7/04  //  Chapter 10: A Study of Modern Quilts  //  Teacher: Heather Grant (Modern Day Quilts)