July 2022

Oh my, it's been way too long! The last four months have been packed with events and projects, which I will share below. I have a new quilt to show you (pattern coming) and new wearables. I'm in the process of creating a new wearable-art pattern as a jacket, top, and vest. It's very exciting . . . and lots of work. Read on . . . .

I just returned from four days on the CA North Coast, in the art-haven of Mendocino. If you've never been, it's well worth the long drive from anywhere. I took this photo in the Mendocino Botanical Gardens. Makes me feel cool and calm just looking at it!

My local guild's 2022 show, "Springtime in the Pines," was so much fun! I saw old friends, met new ones, and generally delighted in talking color and quilts for two days straight.

A few photos from the show:

Our quilt show happens in a large fairground building, so the light is poor. In comparison, check out these pics from a beautifully lit gallery show I did a few years ago. Wow—lighting really makes the color sing!

I love discovering new quilt blocks! I found this "Chained Square" block in a compilation and knew it had to become a quilt. Though traditional, it seems very modern to me.

There was a plan—one light, one darker version of two different colors surrounding a small printed center. The same four colors would extend outward as squares, forming an interlocking design. What fun!

Another possibility, below. At this point I decided that all centers would be Kafffe Fassett Collective fabrics. (Sorry, but the B&W background fabric is no longer available; I've checked for many months.)

However, I didn't have enough of the airy B&W background shown in the first two blocks, so I added a "sloppy check" for the background in five of the blocks. I loved it!

Here's an audition of all the elements. Segments of a B&W Tula Pink stripe linked the blocks.

Time to be honest: I changed my plan and used polka dots and made the B&W striped segments very skinny. The finished quilt, below.

In retrospect, the first version is my preference—the final quilt seems too light and airy, and not as interesting. But, as they say, "The quilt you're working on now is practice for your next one." Sandra Bruce did the wonderful pencil quilting.

If you follow me on Instagram (see the end of this post to sign up), you may have seen the vests below. Both were made using the tissue in my "Turkish Delight" and "Crossover Collage" vest patterns, available in my website Store.

"Holiday in Costa Rica," began with a fused collage I created in a Sue Benner class, "Monoprinting the Quilt." The left front and back feature skinny strips of solids, some pieced, inserted into a Robert Kaufman teal solid. I used Quilter's Dream Request batting, which is all-cotton and low-loft, to give the vest body and texture after stitching.

The color palette has split-complementary aspects—red, blue-green, and yellow-green. (Yeah, the color wheel is always on my mind! If I don't use it to plan, I enjoy seeing the combinations in what I've chosen.)

I fell in love with the Nani Iro cotton/linen fabric below at QuiltCon in 2016, but it languished in my stash. Then I saw the polymer buttons by Sandra Bruce and knew they would be perfect.

The vest is lined with black Grunge, no batting. To make the faux piping, I cut and joined 2-inch-wide strips of a black solid, pressed the strip in half lengthwise, and sewed it to the vest "sandwich" with a 1/8-inch seam allowance. When turned to the inside, just enough of the binding shows on the front to suggest piping.

Because I didn't buy enough fabric, I had to piece the back with a black Grunge. (Notice the black skinny strip that echoes the binding.) To soften the stark black pieces, I frayed left-over bits of the main fabric and topstitched them to the open areas. I think the result is much more fun than a back made of one fabric.

Needing every inch of fabric, I was forced (happily) to advertise the designer on the right front. Simple loops go around Sandra's polymer buttons. (Sorry, I forgot to remove the basting!)

By now you know what a big fan of Marcia Derse fabrics I am. The Katherine Tilton pattern —Vogue 6491— had been waiting for the perfect fabric, and "Treasure Hunt" was IT. The yellow-green (collar) and red (sleeve) accents are also by Marcia Derse.

Finally, my new jacket/top/vest pattern is now in the hands of an amazing pattern drafter. Here's one simple version, made from a Kokka Japanese print.

What looks like a narrow horizontal strip in the back-yoke seam is actually part of the print.

For a list of selected newsletters (with a small photo, short description, and URL for each entry) visit the Tutorials page of my website and scroll down to "Newsletters." You can join my mailing list for "Christine's Color Connection" below.

If you missed my post on the making of my "City Grid" quilt, here's the link: https://conta.cc/3a8LBzx

Thanks for taking the time to read my post and look at my latest work. I wish you a summer full of adventures, fun, and family. If you have time to sew, feel free to indulge your passion for fabric and gather more! (Written permission available.:-)

Stay tuned for my upcoming patterns!

p.p.s. Seven of my patterns are available in my Etsy shop. You save $$$s on the pattern and pay no postage, a win-win!