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

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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!

Check out this blog...

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...

Quilt Visions in San Diego

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

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.

Interesting fusing plastic bags into fabric tutorial...

My husband found this link for me, probably in response to my ever-growing fabric budget. This person has posted a tutorial on fusing plastic bags, and using the fused bags to make totes and other items. Check it out!

Emerald Oceans - my first art quilt

Here are some photos of a quilt I just finished (after getting my machine back from the shop).  I'm still working on the binding, and it's the first time I've bound a quilt using anything but my machine. I've used only two fabrics for the top: a brown marble Moda fabric for the border, and feathered print by Robert Kaufman.  I saw the green print at my local quilt shop and fell in love.  On the bolt, it starts with the lightest shade of celadon and fades to a deep forest green.

I didn't use a pattern, but imitated a borgello style of quilt.  If you're not familiar with these, I suggest you check out this book by Marge Edie. They are very fun and easy to do.

It only took a day to assemble the quilt top. The technique I used follows:

1. I used about 1.5 yards of the green printed fabric, and started slicing in strips.  I cut an equal number of 3", 2.5" and 2" strips for this quilt.  
2. Next, I sewed each strip into a loop, end to end, so the lightest part of the print met the darkest part (I pressed toward the darkest end).  
3. Then, I arranged the loops on the floor, and straightened the seams out to make a horizon.  
4. After I was pleased with the arrangement (I used alternating widths of loops for interest), I cut each of the loops open at the top, and straightened them out.
   
5. After numbering the strips carefully with chalk, I sewed them together.  For some reason, my strip-style quilts tend to warp slightly upon assembly.  To fix this, I alternate the sewing direction (that is, sewing from top to bottom and from the bottom to top) when assembling the quilt.
6. I added a border when I was finished.  This also helps some with getting the fabric to behave itself.

I used a soft 100% cotton batting with low loft, and a fun modern print by Michael Miller for the backing.  For the quilting, I wanted to try my hand at a few free-motion styles.  I used five different colors of thread, including silk and variegated thread. My machine is happiest with Mettler silk finish 100% cotton, but I was also able to use the silk thread without incident.

I marked the quilt with chalk before beginning--simply three wavy lines across the quilt, about where I decided I would switch thread color.  The sky area is quilted in ivory in a meandering curls pattern.  I did wavy lines for the next two shades, echoing each other and becoming more flat as the approach the bottom.  

The last two shades at the bottom of the quilt are in landscape style free-motion, which is a little harder for me than the other styles, but I am pleased with the results.

Free quilting patterns

Where is the best place to find free quilting patterns?  Please post your links in the comments below.  I've found many fabric distributors and supply manufacturers have free patterns on their websites.  Here is a summary of my favorites:

• Michael Miller 
• Robert Kaufman (scroll about half-way down the page for free patterns)
• Moda (United Notions)
• Bernatex
• Timeless Treasures (check out Solar Flate by Karen Montgomery--it's gorgeous)
• Free Spirit (Westminers Fabrics)
• Carol Doak (well, she doesn't sell fabric, but she does manufacture supplies)
• McCall's Quilting
• Lucy A Fazely (author of Quilt Style)

Often, many retail outlets also offer free patterns to download or view online.  And there are sites which will sell patterns and offer free downloads before you buy.  Another quick list of my favorites:

• Home & Garden Network
• Free Quilt Patterns.Info
• Victoriana Quilting block of the month
• About.Com Quilting
• Fat Quarter Shop
• Free Quilt Patterns
• Scrap Quilts.com
• Free Quilt Ideas
• Patterns from History
• eQuilters

Please feel free to comment and add your own.  Have a wonderful quilting day!

Book review: Casting Shadows

Casting Shadows is a great book for beginning quilters who are interested in art quilts or adding dimension to their traditional quilts. Colleen Wise uses plenty of examples in her gallery, which provide the reader for a lot of good reading and inspiration. I can highly recommend this book.
I'm a beginner, and you can see my attempt at her quilt pattern "Emerald City" here. I've used mostly greens and browns for my quilt, giving it a tranquil, peaceful feeling.
In this book, you'll find five full-color quilt patterns, plus an amazing number of techniques that you can use in hers or your own patterns. She includes a 16-page gallery of quilts that showcase these techniques at the end of the book.
The author begins by discussing how color and value can add dimension in quilt construction. She continues in additional embellishment techniques such as painting, appliqué, discharging and others for adding shadows to the surface of your quilt. While many of her designs and patterns seem complex, the pattern I used took one day to piece completely. She uses many strip-piecing techniques that are great for a beginner like me.
Casting Shadows includes some more complex patterns which include circles and curved piecing. I haven't tried these yet, however. I'll be sure to post them here when I do.