Don’t tell my brother, but, his wife has been hanging out with me and my boyfriend Alexander Henry !
My sister-in-law has been visiting from Georgia and we were able to make a quilt top together.
I have been in love with the circles quilt in my new book Maverick Quilts, Using large-Scale Prints, Novelty Fabrics and Panels with Panache called Lovely Landscape. The circles are a wonderful way to work with a large-scale print and make an amazing quilt.
Thunder Flower fabric in blue
I have been working with this Alexander Henry fabric called Thunder Flower in the blue background (it also comes in pink). And the determined, powerful girls are just soooo appealing to me.
Alethea G (the other) and I found some of the Thunder Flower in RED at Stone Mountain and Daughter on our trip to Berkeley and, as red and green are an absolute favorite color combo for my niece and me, we had to buy some. And then we HAD to make a quilt!
We said Kapow a lot during the sewing time, so the quilt just got named as we were going.
We drew out a plan to use large chunks of fabric that were multiples of 6″. Then we cut out the big chunks of the Thunder Flower fabric and placed them on the design wall. We cut many 6 1/2″ squares and began placing them all around the girls.
Kapow! the big pieces cut out
We worked to place all the squares around the big pieces.
Kapow! with the squares added
We used a new fusible product that is called Soft Fuse and, using the directions from Maverick Quilts, we made a circle for each square.
Circles at the ready
Then we auditioned all the circles until they looked perfecto.
Kapow! All circles in place – ready to sew
Then we split it up into sections so that we could sew them together.
Kapow! Sections ready for assembling
I absolutely LOVE how the circles are all from cool and interesting fabrics. We used dots and circles, flowers and even purple for a little zing!
This is definitely WHY we all need so much fabric! You cannot buy all of these different fabrics for just one quilt, but you can definitely take a little corner off of many of them to use in a quilt like this! Fo sho!
and more Circles!
My favorite part might be where we added a leg to the quilt after we sewed it all together so that this girl could KICK!
Kapow! Kicking right out of the block!
We sewed it all together and began working on some funky curvy border (instructions are also in my book!) but Alethea G had to go home and she took the quilt with her. When it is all done, we will show you more photos! Happy Sewing!
Kapow! Center sewn and borders begun
Sorry that the color is so weird on this photo – I just couldn’t get it right!
I am just in love with this wonderful small quilt made by Alethea Gard’ner. It is called, Te Amo Chair. It was made in the Dream Chair Quilts class I taught at Dragonfly Quilts in Watkinsville, Georgia, this Spring.
No, I haven’t changed my name, Alethea G is my sister-in-law; she’s married to my younger brother. It’s a very long story, but I am happy to not be the only Alethea in the family. We fondly refer to ourselves as Sister and Other.
Clearly, Other is a wonderful quilter!
Te Amo Chair - right headrestTe Amo Chair - seat detail
We took the pattern from the pattern pack to the copy shop and enlarged it a little to fit on a 16″ x 20″ canvas frame we bought. Alethea used raw-edge applique using an UHU glue stick to hold the pieces in place until the quilting.
The colors are absolutely electrifying and the imagery is wonderful.
Using different fabric for each side and a variety of shapes and colors, Alethea effectively created an exciting work of art.
Te Amo Chair - lower right corner detailTe Amo Chair - upper left corner detail
I am always happy to have someone to play quilting with, and I am lucky to have Alethea in my family!
Well, the weekend is here and I want to give a shout out to the miserables who are suffering in the heat. We all know we should be frolicking in the beauty of nature, but my guess is that if you’re reading this you’re sweltering through the air conditioning instead!
Here are a few of my new favorite blog posts to give you some inspiration!
On My Modern Metropolis there is a Vogue-style photo shoot of farm animals that I liked.
There must be a chemical involved in designing fabric that makes people extremely nice – and I have got to get me some of that!
One of the most amazing things about going to quilt market is walking down the aisles and coming upon a booth where a fabric designer is standing!
You are just walking along – minding your own business, looking at stuff, and BOOM! There they are! Just as if they are an actual, real person.
They walk and talk and … breathe and everything!
You see them talking to people and smiling, and you just feel special being near all of that talent!
And they are cheerful and positive – when I am done with designing my fabric line, I plan to be really tired and cranky!
Becky Goldsmith's booth
One of the masters in the world of applique is Becky Goldsmith. She is the nicest, most approachable person. She is sweet and kind to boot! Her booth featured some of her amazing quilts and her newest fabric line. I muddled around fondling the fabrics, and when my companion expressed a special interest in it, she just gave us a jelly roll. Just like that – free fabric – awesome!
Circular Momentum, by Becky Goldsmith
At the airport on my way home, I found myself in line with Becky and she was STILL nice! I was sooo tired, in my sweats, and my makeup was migrating southward, and she still looked alert and alive. I introduced myself and identified that I had written a pattern pack for C & T, just like her. And STILL she was nice – she could have said, “You fat cow, stay off my applique patch!” Or she could have tried to scratch my eyes out or even kicked me, but no – just pleasant, encouraging, and positive. She even let me be her facebook friend. Unbelievable!
Bari J in her booth
Bari J’s corner booth was beautiful. She was very busy at market with her new book Inspired to Sew out from Stash Books and her (I believe it is) fourth fabric line. When I was there Bari was busy being interviewed for something important, like a magazine or television show. So, not only are fabric designers talented but v. busy and important, too! I admit I was envious.
I met two new fabric designers at this year’s market, Violet Craft and Amanda Murphy.
Amanda Murphy's Booth
I might have been in Amanda Murphy’s beautiful booth taking photos with the express intention of stealing the design you see on the pillow and quilt with the white-background vine. OK, I was totally going to steal the idea, but she came around the corner and said hi to me and then she was so… you guessed it… nice … and THEN she gave me some free pre-cut squares of her new fabric line Veranda, and then I just COULDNT steal her idea.
But now she has a new fan! That rankles a little – I guess I will have to go back to making up my own designs – Dang!
Violet Craft in her booth
I was drawn right in to Violet Craft’s booth by the great sign that read Peacock Lane that she had posted in adorable frames. Violet introduced herself; she is a new fabric designer from Portland. She shared her tales of getting the booth ready with us. The strike-offs (the advance fabric samples) of her fabrics (deliciously named Cherry Chip and Rainbow Sorbet) didn’t come until two and three days before she was leaving for Salt Lake City. AND THEN she had to make all her samples and displays for the market! AND STILL she was nice – WHAT is in that fabric?
Sandi Henderson's booth - center section
Just down the hall from Violet, I stumbled upon a gorgeous double booth that had just been awarded a prize for best booth, or nicest person, I can’t remember which. There, standing on her own two feet, upright and everything, was one of the most exciting fabric designers of all – Sandi Henderson. I was absolutely verklempt. Over the last year I had meant, so many times, to contact her and tell her that her Ginger Blossom fabric was not only on the cover if my new book, Maverick Quilts, but is also featured in the Estate Sale Quilt in Dream Chair Quilts. But I never had, and there she was standing there in the flesh!
Ginger Jalousie quilt, by Alethea Ballard
Sandi had all of her new fabrics from her Secret Garden line in frames and on display in the booth. It is such an exciting new collection and I loved seeing it all!
Sandi Henderson's booth - left side (see the blue ribbon?)
I introduced myself. She was so gracious and lovely to talk to. (Perhaps niceness pills come with those strike-off shipments?) It was so fun to give her a postcard of the book with her fabric smack dab right there on the paper. I simply cannot wait to send her a copy of the book!
Sandi Henderson and Alethea Ballard
(Notice the stunned look on my face – not so nice!)
When you are standing in a booth full of new fabrics, there is this overwhelming feeling of possibility – you see all the fabric and know that someday you might just hold some of that fabric in your own tiny hand, and it is thrilling! I think that is why I am so drawn to the designers – they bring such joy into my little fabric-obsessed life. They are joy-bringers. And it all comes out of their talent and creativity.
Without them I would still be using blue and brown calicos – yikes – it doesn’t bear thinking about!
Maverick Quilts 