Too Early for Candy Corn?

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At moda we initiated a staff challenge.
We were designing some basic 12 pack patterns using Bella solids. These patterns were designed as”blueprints”. No color, just let your imagination decide.
 To test the process, several of the office staff jumped in to take the color challenge.
I choose Peaks as my quilt pattern. 
It was selected to be featured in the current issue of QUILT, April/May 2013. 
They called it Candy Corn because that is exactly what it looks like.
 
Working with all solids is not just for the Amish. 
However, it was a bit of a challenge for me. 
I learned to quilt in the days of muslin backgrounds and little tiny brown calicos. 
I was taught solids were not forgiving.
 My quilting teacher would say, “If your points don’t match it will really jump out,
so stay clear of solids.” This is the same teacher that wouldn’t let me use plaids.
EGADS!
Thank goodness time has changed and we have so many more fabric options. 
30 years later and we probably have too many options. 
How does one decide?
If you want to take on a solid project but are not sure that you may be breaking the 
“color wheel code” 
of using primary, secondary or complementary 
colors effectively, do this.
Pick your absolutely favorite fabric with TONS of colors. 
Choose your absolutely fav fabric. Pick solids that match the print. 
Remove the print fabric and you will have the perfect combination of solids.
You will need 12 fat quarters and a background.
Add a punch of color by using your colorful print as the back. 
I used a Zen Chic grey pindot as my binding. It was a bit unexpected. I love it!
 
I am so into oranges, greys and citrus colors that I 
didn’t mean for the quilt to look like candy corn.
 Okay, not really. 
This design would make adorable Christmas trees also.
Ask at your favorite store to see if they are offering 12 pack quilt projects.
Thanks, Maggi Honeyman for the quilting. You’re the greatest!

Blogger Girls Quilt Along 3

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Can you believe it is already March? 
I love the technique and rulers used on this block so I was inspired to 
do something a little different. Be sure and check out off the bloggers 
posts for color options and then Monique’s blog for block instructions.
This could very well be my favorite block so far.
Monique offers 2 color
versions in her instructions, so the more
 I looked at the block,
 the
more intrigued I was.
 Shown above is he color placement per the block instructions.
 
I just changed one simple triangle and it gave me a whole new block.
Can you see which triangle I changed? 
 
I wondered what would happen if I made a quilt from just this block. 
How
much movement would it have? 
Would it create secondary designs?
So I played with the exact fabrics but
changing the 
fabric placement slightly
 to have two versions of the same block, shown
above.
Then, 
 
 I thought what about putting the blocks on point. 
Everything is always better on point. I used just one block and 
look how cool and graphic it turned out. Love it!!
 
Stop by and see the color options at the other blogger girls.
Monique From Open Gate Quilts – opengatequilts.blogspot.com/
Sherri from A Quilting Life – aquiltinglife.blogspot.com
Thelma from Cupcakes ‘n Daisies ~ cupcakesndaisies.blogspot.com
Lissa from Moda  Lissa  ~ ModaLissa.blogspot.com
Denise from Quilter’s  Window ~ Quilterswindow.com/blog/
Nicole from Sister’s Choice  ~  sisterschoice.typepad.com
Lisa from Stashmaster ~ The-Stashmaster.blogspot.com
Instructions for block 3 can be found at Open Gate.

QuiltCon part 2

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One of the funnest things about being at Quilt Con was the MBS booth and photo booth. 
Derek from Booth66.com is the coolest guy.  He made our booth the place to be!
Anyone that stopped by the booth could get a printed picture. They could also load the pic to any social media platform or email it to themselves. Now I hate having my picture made just as much as the next gal, however their is something about grabbing some props and striking a pose. So here are some silly pics  of the staff from the show.
 Mark Dunn, Cheryl Freydburg and little ol me!
 Alex from Auriful was one of the sponsors 
so I had to throw in a pic of him and Kim.
 Angela Yosten, Holly Hickman and Sarah Castaneda
 Angela Yosten feeding me!
 Cheryl Cantoya, a moda sales person all the way from Omaha!
 Christin
 Eric and Julie Comstock showed up and had a ton of fun as the next pictures show. Of course I was the one hitting the picture button so I did catch them off guard. They are so cute, I couldn’t resist.
 I love Eric’s grin on this one.
 Debbi Duckworth and Julie Hardgrave
 A trend in the pics was too hold 2 jelly rolls up to your chest….. 
you can only imagine how the pics went downhill from here.
 “I am so excited to be here,” said Ducky.
 Debbie, Angela and myself stirring the pot.
 Hear no Evil, See No Evil and Speak No Evil is a classic.
 Holly and Sarah, so photogenic!
 Holly and her balancing act.
 Lisa Calle and Angela
 Lisa Calle taking a bite of Moda Candy (mini charms)
 I was threatening the girls if they didn’t get back to work.
 
I told them I was sorry for “forking” them.
Put a fork in it. We were done.

QuiltCon 2013

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 I spent the weekend at the Moda Bake Shop booth during the QuiltCon 2013 show.
 Thank you to Alex from Auriful for helping sponsor the 
fun, crazy photo booth. 
(more pics tomorrow from the photo booth)
How adorable are the handmade prize ribbons?
Here are just a few of the quilts from the show.
       Quilt by Angela Walters
 Love
 Quilt by Judy Kiser
Quilted by Laurie Marks
 Overgrown
Quilt by Alison Glass
Quilted by Lisa Sipes
 Flying Saucer
Made and quilted by Lisa Alexakis
 
 Adrift
Quilt by Tina Michalik
Quilted by Susan Spencer
 Broken Cogs
Quilt by Jacquie Gering
Quilted by Angela Walters
 Off the B.O.W.
was made by the Anchorage Modern Quilt Guild
 Made and Quilted by Beth Copeland
  Made and Quilted by Chelle Casey-Stevenson
Made and quilted by Faith Jones
 Lines in Freedom
Made and quilted by Daria Blandina from Italy!
 In the Clouds
Made by Andrea Johnson
Quilted by Jill Montgomery
 Oreos and Creamsicles
Made and quilted by Rebecca Jubie
 I Don’t Wear Blue
Made and quilted by Cinzia Allocca
 Housewarming
Made and quilted by Jodi McLaughin
 Impractically
Made and quilted by Angela Walters
 Not Quite a Shadow
Made by Susan Shore
Quilted by Jessica Sloan
 Oodalolly
Made and quilted by Rachel Hauser
 A Very Long Conversation
Made by Rossie Hutchinson
Quilted by Bernie Olszewski
 Makin’ Me Crazy
Made by Victoria Findlay Wolfe
Quilted by Shelly Paglial
 Not so Twin Stripes
Made and quilted by Irene Beatie
Unraveled
Made and quilted by Katie Spencer 
untitled
Made and quilted by Lindsay Stead
 Dresden Stairs
Made and quilted by Elizabeth Dackson
 Psychedelic Baby
Made and quilted by Katie Pederson
 Modern Basket Lattice
Made and quilted by Sherri Shannon
 Add It Up
Made and quilted by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pederson
 
 Just One More Slice
Made and quilted by Patty Simmons
 
Last but certainly not least, 
Ron Swanson Quilt by Monica Soloria-Snow
Happy Zombie 
Stayed tuned for a few more pics tomorrow.

What I am baking…

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If any of my family members are reading this they will be 
laughing out loud or saying finally.
I have been busy getting ready for the QuiltCon Show in Austin, Texas  
this weekend, so let me just say the cupboard is bare. 
However, I have had some time to cook up a 
little project for the Moda Bake Shop.
I will also be demoing this technique at the Moda Bake Shop 
booth #100 so stop by and say hello.
-modalissa

what I want to be when I am older

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I had the most fun over the weekend.
A friend called me a few weeks ago. She was standing in Joann’s telling me how she had volunteered to make a quilt to raffle as their big charity fundraiser.  
The first thing I said was get your bu?? out of there and get over here.
 I will say she had no idea what she was doing but knowingKatie that would not stop her. 
We went through the process and created a game plan. She was armed and ready with a layer cake, fabric marker and a huge bundle of determination and patience. 
Oh I left out that this is a preschool class with 3-5 year olds.
 The theme of the project,
 What do I want to be when I get older? 
I love this theme, it wasn’t, what do I want to be when I grow up, because
  after all do any of us really ever grow up?

 First step- Quilt Blocks – Success
 We were able to sew in in an office meeting room with lots of room to spread out. Moms came and went throughout the day. Kids played in the next room and pizza was ordered for lunch. I guess this would be a modern version of the old time quilting bees.
 Katie also asked the kids to bring a piece of fabric or clothing that had some memories for them. The sashing fabric was from one of Nate’s birthday parties  so we quickly turned that into sashing.
This is Gus’s block. He wants to be a person that talks about old-timey football. We had fun trying to interpret the drawings. Supposedly the chair he is in is a recliner. Just wondering if Gus was influenced by a grandfather talking about old time football? Maybe he just wants to be comfortable and thinks everyone should be able to work from a recliner.
 Lucy- A princess with high heels. From what I gathered from the moms Lucy is very petite but has a huge heart and spirit. She is known to direct the entire class in spite of her small stature. Maybe that is why she needs the high heels.
 Stephen- A  Dallas Cowboy player. There was talk that Stephen’s dad has something to do with the Cowboys. Apparently Stephen is very influential  in the class because several little boys he plays with also wanted to be football players. Their moms were shocked when they say the quilt blocks.
 Yep, it must be Stephen is what one mom said.
 Audrey, Baby Doctor-Mermaid Princess. Audrey is my kind of girl. 
She likes to keep all of her options open.
 Grace- animal doctor
She is holding a frog/toad button that is wearing a crown. 
Who knows maybe her prince charming in waiting.
(disclaimer: moms did help embellish the blocks a bit.)
 Cyrus- A person who catches animals and cares about nature.
 Nate- A doctor that plays golf. 
This is the only little boy I knew  and at 5 years old he is already a fantastic golfer. 
Let’s just hope the doctor thing works out for him.
Sophia- want to be a veterinarian.  You can barely see that she drew herself 
holding a stethoscope listing to the heart of a dog. Precious! 
The additional pieces of clothing were incorporated into various quilt blocks
 and were also used to piece a great big heart.

Personally, 
What I want to be is still undecided. 
I am thinking a PRINCESS might be nice!
 Thank you to Katie and the other moms for letting me a part of such a wonderful project.
 The day certainly brought back great memories of when my kids were young and innocent. My oldest wanted to be a marine biologist because he loved Flipper. Good times!

Friendship quilt along starts today

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Have fun collection all these quilt blocks. 
For you overachievers there are 3 blocks a day!!
 
FEB 18th

Barbara Brackman
http://barbarabrackman.blogspot.com/
Basic Grey
http://blog.basicgrey.com/

Blackbird Designs
http://blackbird-designs.blogspot.com/

FEB 19th

Bonnie- Cotton Way
http://cottonway.blogspot.com/

Brigitte- Zen Chic

www.farbstoff-bridge.blogspot.com

Anne- Bunny Hill
http://bunnyhillblog.com/
FEB 20th

Camille- Thimbleblossoms
http://www.camilleroskelley.typepad.com/

Deb Strain

Eric & Julie Comstock

http://cosmocricket.typepad.com/cosmo_cricket/

FEB 21st

Jan Patek
http://janpatek.blogspot.com/

Joanna-Fig Tree
http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Jenn Ski

                      http://jennskistudio.blogspot.com/


FEB 22nd
Kaari-French General
http://frenchgeneral.blogspot.com/
Lynne-Kansas Troubles
http://kansastroublesquilters-lynne.blogspot.com/
Kate Spain
http://katespaindesigns.blogspot.com/

 You have the weekend to rest or sew these blocks.
 We hope you are having fun collecting all these quilt blocks.

FEB 25th
Kathy Schmitz 
http://kathyschmitzstudio.blogspot.com/  
Edyta- Laundry Basket

Lauren & Jessi Jung 

http://laurenandjessiblog.com/

FEB 26th
Lisa- Primitive Gatherings

Malka Dubrawsky

Me & My Sister


FEB 27th

Minick and Simpson

Pat Sloan 

Sandy Gervais 

  
FEB 28th


Sweetwater

Stephanie Ryan

Vanessa Christenson

March 1st

Quilter’s Save our Stories

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Have you heard of Quilter’s SOS- Save Our Stories?

Quilter’s SOS is a part of the non- profit organization, 
Quilter’s Alliance. This is a snippet directly from their mission statement.

Quilt Alliance is a nonprofit 501c3 organization established in 1993
whose mission is to document, preserve, and share our American quilt
heritage by collecting the rich stories that historic and contemporary
quilts, and their makers, tell about our nation’s diverse peoples and
their communities. 

 Pretty powerful mission
statement.

 Mark Dunn, president of Moda fabrics is on the executive
board of this organization and it’s many causes are near and dear to all
of us here. Recently the board members were visiting the Dallas offices
of moda as they were training more board members to document stories of
quilters. 
Barbara Brackman and myself were the “guinea pigs”.
photo courtesy of Quilt Alliance
We were both asked to bring one thing that could tell our story. 
Do
you know how hard that is?
I finally decided to bring a quilt top that
was in 
the works. It was in the works for over 20 years. The 
quilt top
was part of a friendship swap that I had 
participated in 
many years ago
with my sister, 
Angie Tardy 
and 11 other friends. 
The quilt top/pieces was actually Angie’s 
and I had been working on finishing the quilt top 
for one of my sister’s kids. 
This quilt top was pretty iconic in my life 
because my sister passed away from melanoma 
in the late 1980’s. We were both married the same year as well as learned to quilt that same year. 
If we were not talking about family, we were planning 
what our next quilting project 
was going to be. 
The Alliance documented the full interview
 and you can read it here.

 The  quilt patten is a double Irish Chain and the only rule in the swap was we all had to use the same pink solid as the background. Each of us chose a different fabric to use as our setting fabric. As shown above, Angie choose a romantic floral by Concord fabrics. Those of you that have been quilting for over 25 years are sure to have owned a piece of this fabric.
Why did it take me so long to finish the quilt top? I would like to say that Angie’s boys were 6, 4 and 2 at the time so they probably were not interested in a pink floral quilt. Maybe it was to painful to work on, I don’t really know.

Kadence snuggling
Advance time 25 years later and my nephews are all grown and married, so now was the time to finish the quilt and have a little therapy. I gave the completed quilt to my nephew Kirk and his precious family. Kirk sent me this picture of his daughter, 
Kadence with the quilt. I think my sister would be thrilled
 to know that her granddaughter owned 
something she had made.

A few months later, Kirk sent me a picture he had found of Angie actually piecing this quilt top. Of course you can barely see the quilt pieces on that colorful bedspread.(so 80’s)  
I will treasure the picture as it completes the circle on my Quilter’s S.O.S.

If you are interested in the vision of the Quilt
Alliance—that quilts and quiltmakers are an important part of American history
and deserve to be documented, preserved and shared in a permanent archive—please
become an Alliance member. Membership information can be found on their
website: http://www.quiltalliance.org/support/.

Thank you to Quilt Alliance-Alliance of American Quilts for letting me permanently document my story for future generations.

thank you Kadence for being such a precious model

Blogger Girls Quilt Along 2

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Happy Friday to everyone! 
Today is month 2 of Monique’s Blogger Girls Quilt Along.

Here is my stack of fabrics that I am auditioning 
each month for my blocks. Monique has done such a great job 
with her block instructions that it is very easy 
to choose different fabrics for color placement 
making the blocks look completely different 
depending on fabric placement. 

I also wanted to show you the back of one of my blocks in progress. I consider myself fairly good at piecing since I have been practicing for 30 years. However using Monique’s rulers have  taken  precision sewing to a whole new level.

 Stop by and see the color options at the other blogger girls.

Monique From Open Gate Quilts – opengatequilts.blogspot.com/
Sherri from A Quilting Life – aquiltinglife.blogspot.com
Thelma from Cupcakes ‘n Daisies ~ cupcakesndaisies.blogspot.com
Lissa from Moda  Lissa  ~ ModaLissa.blogspot.com
Denise from Quilter’s  Window ~ Quilterswindow.com/blog/
Nicole from Sister’s Choice  ~  sisterschoice.typepad.com
Lisa from Stashmaster ~ The-Stashmaster.blogspot.com

Instructions for block 2 can be found at Open Gate.