quiltology...

Those of you who know me, know that I've been working on a wedding quilt for my sister pieced from our father's ties.  Here it is... 

Sometimes we learn more from our mistakes than our successes.  And sometimes we can turn one of those mistakes into a big success.  That’s what Alice did with her recent attempt at the Urban Amish quilt pattern.  

Here’s the back story…Alice took the Intro to Patchwork class a few months ago and made a fun little boogie woogie quilt for the baby she’s expecting this winter.  Bitten by the quilting bug, she decided to try her hand at the Urban Amish quilt.  One bad cutting mistake later…and her pieces didn’t line up correctly for the original pattern. 

But that didn’t stop Alice!  No way.  In fact that simple little mistake led to another and then yet another.  And guess what?  A whole new design strategy emerged.  

Of course cutting rules are important to achieve the original design pattern.  So if that’s important to you, fix it.  Start over and recut.  Or you can think about using your “mistake” as a jumping off point for a whole new design direction and have some fun with it.  Afterall, spontaneity and improvisation may make things much more interesting! 

Katherine Hepburn once said, “If you obey all the rules, you’ll miss all the fun.”  

Alice’s quilt is definitely lots of fun!

You know you’ve been bitten by the quilting bug when you begin to see patchwork patterns everywhere you go. 

Heather only started quilting two years ago, but now she notices the pattern play of tiles in her bathroom, the repeating design work of windows in Chicago’s downtown skyscrapers and the rural patchwork that is America from  the window of a plane cruising at 30,000 feet. 

But it was this summer’s trip to Spain that really got the quilt-spriation juices flowing with a visit to The Alhambra. 

Heather writes…

”We wanted to hit a major landmark we heard was one of the most beautiful in Spain—The Alhambra—an old Moorish fort that’s served as a summer palace in the South of Spain. 

This castle is considered a UNESCO world heritage site so it’s a huge tourist attraction. We had to buy our tickets in advance with a very specific window of time to enter the old palace. 

Built in the 1300s by the Nasrid sultans who ruled a portion of Southern Spain until the late 1400s, the palace showcases amazing craftsmanship with beautiful wood and stone carvings and tile work that just screamed—MAKE A QUILT FROM ME!

Half of all the pictures I took on the 9-day trip were taken at the Alhambra.  I know that some of the tile work could be easily recreated in a quilt, but the other designs appear much more complicated, and a little beyond my current quilting abilities.  But you never know! 

I'm including some of my photos.  I hope they inspire you.

I'm thinking that a bed sized quilt based on the simple blue, yellow, and green blocks might be in my future.”

I thought I might share some fun pictures I received this week from Julie Beab.

Julie just started a new business making these really cute t-shirts and onesies that she personalizes with her fun and fab appliqué designs. The initials and ages are the most popular--which makes them just perfect when you need a special birthday present or baby shower gift.

The website is still under construction, but Julie is happy to email a copy of her catalog so you can see more examples of her work along with the t-shirt styles and fabric swatches she has available.

Julie Baeb Designs

Julie @baebdesigns.com

Hey everybody--check out the cute holiday aprons Julie made!

Julie wrote ... "I'm so glad a friend of mine introduced me to Quiltology this fall, when I bought some holiday fabric. I received my order yesterday (more holiday prints)! Thank you!

I made these cute craft aprons for my friend's children, and used them in decorating a wall for an annual cookie exchange party...

Thanks again for being part of my Christmas," Julie Tiu 

Hey Julie--thank you for sending the note and photos.  I love to see pictures of the projects people make out of the fabrics they buy at my shop.  Your aprons are really cute and just perfect for making holiday cookies!  Happy sewing to you...Colette