Here is another block for this series to show you. I have all nine of them stitched into a mini quilt and ready to be quilted, but I'm not sure how to quilt it. Stay tuned. I promise to show it to you when I'm done!
June 22, 2013
Summer Sampler Progress
Here is another block for this series to show you. I have all nine of them stitched into a mini quilt and ready to be quilted, but I'm not sure how to quilt it. Stay tuned. I promise to show it to you when I'm done!
June 20, 2013
Kate Spain Blog Hop
When Alyce at Blossom Heart Quilts announced she was doing a Kate Spain blog hop, I was so excited - I mean I LOVE Kate Spain. That excitement quickly turned to sadness as I realized I love her so much that I don't have any projects with her fabric. I buy it......and look at it.......and save it.......BOO!
You buy it to use it right? So....every day I go and visit these lovely projects and wish I didn't hold mine in such high regard and then.....I remembered. Long ago, there was a sale (or free shipping) or something that prompted me to get a layer cake of Terrain. It's in a pink bin and my original plan isn't interesting anymore so now I am cutting it up into HST's - yes, the entire layer cake. (If you follow me on Instagram, you will see that is exactly what I was doing while watching the play-off game the other night). Funny thing is, I don't really like HST's. Too much work. I must admit though, there are so many truly lovely projects out there that I have become a little soft on them now. No idea on the final layout but I'm branching out! The point of this is, use it! It won't make you happy if it is sitting in a stash stack somewhere and you aren't looking at it.
And then *light bulb* it came to me. I DID have a Kate Spain quilt. Yippee! It was my first one.
If you would like to see the entire quilt and post, go here. But...I am taking Tessa's advice and took some different shots of the quilt for you to view.
You buy it to use it right? So....every day I go and visit these lovely projects and wish I didn't hold mine in such high regard and then.....I remembered. Long ago, there was a sale (or free shipping) or something that prompted me to get a layer cake of Terrain. It's in a pink bin and my original plan isn't interesting anymore so now I am cutting it up into HST's - yes, the entire layer cake. (If you follow me on Instagram, you will see that is exactly what I was doing while watching the play-off game the other night). Funny thing is, I don't really like HST's. Too much work. I must admit though, there are so many truly lovely projects out there that I have become a little soft on them now. No idea on the final layout but I'm branching out! The point of this is, use it! It won't make you happy if it is sitting in a stash stack somewhere and you aren't looking at it.
And then *light bulb* it came to me. I DID have a Kate Spain quilt. Yippee! It was my first one.
If you would like to see the entire quilt and post, go here. But...I am taking Tessa's advice and took some different shots of the quilt for you to view.
The pattern is from KarrieLyne and the quilting is by Kathy.
June 19, 2013
Simply Solids - July
But wait....we are in June. Isn't that grand! Christine liked our June block so much that she decided on the same one for July in my Simply Solids Bee.
These are so much fun to put together and the finished quilts are going to be fabulous! She asked for "bright" so I used Kona Bright Periwinkle and Kona Bright Pink for this one.
It's in the mail Christine!
These are so much fun to put together and the finished quilts are going to be fabulous! She asked for "bright" so I used Kona Bright Periwinkle and Kona Bright Pink for this one.
It's in the mail Christine!
June 17, 2013
All Wrapped Up!
When I first got interested in quilting I went to a local fabric store to buy some fat quarters and I saw a quilt on the wall that really caught my eye! It was done in all black and white fabrics with big red ric-rac and called "Wrapping Paper". I duplicated the pattern (cut strips in various widths from 1"-3") and stitched it up. It's been done for quite some time (over a year or two) but I just quilted it last month. It was only a moment when I thought about machine binding vs. hand binding and decided on the latter. It really is fun for me to hand bind so I whipped that out this weekend and here it is. I'm not sure if this will be a gift quilt or we'll use it, but when I spread it out on the grass, the dogs liked it so it may already be claimed.
This quilt really shows how personal taste evolves. For my newer readers, I do NOT like green, yet in my earlier projects I used it a lot and it surprises me, even now. Is there a color you used to use but now you don't?
June 14, 2013
Let's Get Acquainted! My Turn
For
those of you who are first time visitors to my blog – Welcome!! A big shout out
to Beth over at Plum and June for setting up this fun blog
hop for all of us. A lot of work (and follow-up) goes into organizing
this and I just want to say thank you to her.
Beth
has suggested some questions to help us get to know one another better so here
we go!
Do
you belong to or would you like to belong to bees, QALs, etc.. Because
it has been so long since I first joined Flickr (where I have participated in
over two dozen bees and swaps) I don’t recall where I read or who suggested
that as a good bee/swap platform but it is fantastic! If you aren’t on Flickr,
I would highly recommend you join. You can dip in slowly and do a bee
like NuBee’s where you only have a one month
commitment or you can go for the gusto and join one with a six month or year
commitment – it’s all up to you.
The swaps and bees I have been in have exposed
me to paper piecing, hexagons, sewing curves, sewing pillows, piping, dresden
blocks, and many other techniques. Frankly, if I wasn't required to
do it for a bee, it is likely I would have never tried them on my own. I
appreciate the bees pushing me outside of my comfort zone and strongly suggest
this for beginning quilters. Lori and I also host the Modern She Made Swap so stay tuned this fall if you are interested in
making a project for your secret partner with {insert shape here, not
determined yet} on it. The first round we incorporated a circle, then a
triangle and our latest round was a star so browse on over to the finished projects if you are interested in what we created. {warning: lots
of eye candy!}
Have
you attended or are you planning to attend any sewing get togethers like Sewing
Summit, Quiltcon, etc.. Last year I attended Sewing
Summit and had a blast, it was awesome! Because the group of friends I bonded
with prefer smaller gatherings, we are headed to the Northeast this fall for a
private retreat so I won’t be attending this year, but if you have a chance to
go or are "thinking" about it, I highly recommend it not for the
classes, but for the friendships. You end up hanging out with other girls who
LOVE to sew as much as you do - really! Quiltcon-yes! I was so excited
to attend a quilt show that was all modern! Funny thing, it was mostly
modern, but there were a few quilts that I wouldn’t have considered modern at
all. In addition, there was a lot of conversation about the judging, the
winners, the entrants and the topic that is always spinning in our modern
world...modern vs. traditional. Let me direct you to Craftsy to the Quiltcon Lecture Series. I am in love with
the perspective of Mary Fons . She comments on that very topic with some
fantastic points in her presentation titled – Notes from a Quilt Mafia
Daughter. Download the series (free) and listen to her – you will be glad
you did.
What
are you working on now? Where do I start? I am enrolled
in Lucky Stars BOM (a new paper pieced star
every month), Skillbuilder BOM (two blocks every month
with new techniques each month), Simply
Solids (one block a month for each bee mate, Modern
Stash (just finished Q1&2) and signed up for
Q3&4, and so many more! I won’t bore you with the details, but I am
list person and it makes me happy to check off these projects every
month, not to mention, make things for other folks.
The
latest block I completed in the Skillbuilder BOM is called Switz.
and here are a few of my Lucky Stars
What
type of sewing machine do you use ? – I use a Bernina 630 QE,
which I have used more and more often as my quilting appetite has grown larger.
What is your favorite/least favorite part of sewing/quilting? When I paper piece and try to be stingy with the fabric, then turn it over and it doesn’t fit – Gah! I hate that! I can’t stand to pick out those little 1.5” stitches, one at a time. You would think I would know better because I do a lot of paper piecing, but nope, it still happens. My favorite part is sewing the last seam on a quilt top – It is in that moment that I am most happy!
What
other hobbies do you have? I am a voracious reader. I
have never taken a speed reading class but I can read a novel in about 3
hours. My favorite flights are exactly that long, just enough time to get
through one book (DFW-LAX) is great for that! I love John Grishman books
but lately have been reading Michael Connelly too. I enjoy the lawyer/crime
type books but books about the mind/marketing influence/human behavior are just
as interesting.
Don't
judge...but...here is what I have lined up next to my dresser (and I have 3
books that I requested at the library that have come in and are ready for pick
up). If you are ever stuck in an airport (or anywhere you can people watch), I
highly recommend What Every Body is Saying by Joe Navarro. Great read!!
It's about body language and he talks about reading people, which came in quite
handy when he was an FBI agent. (see - crime and human behavior in the same book
- no wonder I loved it)
I
love to travel! I love to fly! It is important to go to new places to be
exposed to how other folks live. Sometimes it makes me humble and
appreciate what I have but other times it helps me consider other things I want
to incorporate in my life.
What
are your favorite quilting notions? Clover clips! They work well for
so many projects! They hold your binding to your quilt, allow you to sew a
zipper without pinning and really clamp down on thick projects (like bags)
without fighting with pins. These are well worth the investment!
Do
you have any blogging or blog photography tips/tricks to share? Try
to always take pictures in natural light. It makes a huge difference, I
promise you! When I go back and look at some of my first photos, the
difference is obvious. If you want to add your blog name or do some basic
photo edits to your photos, I would suggest Picmonkey.
It is a free program and allows you to round corners, add text, sharpen colors,
enhance exposure, make a collage and more!
One
tip I read a while back that I really try to incorporate in my blog posts, is
to always include at least one link back to a previous post of yours.
This will allow readers to easily see more of your work.
What
other social media do you actively use? I have a Twitter account but
currently, I just love Instagram. Follow me @joliemaxtin on
Instagram and #joliemaxtin on Twitter. You won’t see
many tweets from me but I do share random shots of our two Labradors and of
course quilting projects, on Instagram.
I hope I have not gone overboard on the
personal component as it is rare for me, but based on some conversations
lately, it seems that readers like it so there you go! I write
like I talk (fast and bouncing from topic to topic). For a bit more, my About Me page covers that, if you want to view quilts I have made, go here and to browse my flickr stream here.
This post got long but I hope you
enjoyed it and I hope to see you back here soon!
Please check out the other fabulous bloggers today as they have some great posts! And if you just can’t get enough, go back to this post for the lovely gals who kicked off the blog hop for us last week.
Friday,
June 14
Julie
@ Jolie
Maxtin {you are here}
Melissa @ Melia Mae Quilting doesn't collect pins or needlebooks, but she has 6 of ????
Adrianne
@ On The Windy Side got one of her quilts published just from posting on Flickr
Molli
@ Molli Sparkles shows you how to "cinch it up"
Laura
@ Little and Lots has wonderful photos on her blog
Sarah
@ Duck Egg Threads has a funny reaction when her photo is being taken
Kelly
@ My Quilt Infatuation hosts the Thursday "Needle and Thread" Link-up
Cari
@ There's a Thread has a tutorial on how to print your own fabric using the sunshine
Valerie
@ Between Quilts : Her Racing Stripes quilt has really gotten around!
June 10, 2013
Let's Get Acquainted 2013 Version has started!
Beth at Plum and June is going for Round 2 in 2013 to help us get to know one another and also discover some new quilters among us. Join us this summer as we do just that!
Then come back on Friday for 9 more fun bloggers (I'm up Friday - do you know what my favorite and least favorite part of quilting is? or the best quilting notion invented and why? - come back and find out!)
Here is the list:
Friday, June 7th
Nancy who shares 17 Things I Learned from
Blogging
Amy who is starting a quilt a long (you aren't too late to join in)
Amy who is starting a quilt a long (you aren't too late to join in)
Ashley you can tell is full of energy and
loves life
Casey who has creativity in her blood (check
out her quilts)
Nanette who showcased a hexagon and a
dresden with great success
Ange who entered her first quilt competition
- Way to Go!
Kim who got sewing machine tips from someone
interesting - go find out!
If you haven't made time yet, go back and see what these 8 gals are
up to and a little bit about them - every one is a great read!
Then come back on Friday for 9 more fun bloggers (I'm up Friday - do you know what my favorite and least favorite part of quilting is? or the best quilting notion invented and why? - come back and find out!)
Friday, June 14
Melissa @ Melia Mae Quilting
Adrianne @ On The Windy Side
Molli @ Molli Sparkles
Laura @ Little And Lots
Sarah @ Duck Egg Threads
Kelly @ My Quilt Infatuation
Cari @ There's A Thread
Valerie @ Between Quilts
Friday, June 21
Leigh Anne @ Ella's Cottage
Stacy @ The Tilted Quilt
Sarah @ Quilt Candy
Jackie @ NW Patchwork
Erica @ Happy Fabric
Stephanie @ Simple Sewendipity
Lauren @ Seraphym
Amy @ Cloud CouCou Crafts
Friday, June 28
Green @ So Sew Green
Gwendellyn @ The
Rainbow Revolts
Jessica @ Stitched In Thyme
Amira @ Little Mushroom Cap
Kathy @ Kayak Quilting
Michelle @ Factotum Of Arts
Paula @ The Sassy Quilter
Kris @ Sew Sunshine
Camilla @ Faffling
Friday, July 5
Christa @ Christa Quilts!
Alyce @ Wonderland By Alyce
Anna @ The Crooked Banana
Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After
Stephanie @ Quarter
Incher
Kristy & Shayla @ Sassafras
Lane Designs
Caroline @ Carolines
Craftiness
Lisa @ Hilltop
House Creative Works
Fridau, July 12
Leona @ Leona's Quilting Adventure
Karen @ Karen, {Novice} Quilter
Anne @ PlayCrafts
Rachel @ Let's Begin Sewing...
Jan @ Sew And Sow Farm
Anna @ Quilting Along The Grain
Cath @ Wombat Quilts
Sarah @ {No} Hats In The House
Friday, July 19
Karen @ Little Birdie Quilting Studio
Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures
Alison @ Making Happyness
Sarah @ Sowing Stitches
Ella and Nesta @ Ella & Nesta's Little Room
Adrienne @ Chezzetcook
Modern Quilts
Nicole @ Modern Handcraft
Aylin @ AyliN-Nilya
Friday, July 26
Vicki @ A Quilter's Mission
RobinSue @ RobinSue Quilts
Elisa @ Lovelea Designs
Elizabeth @ In
The Boondocks
Jenny @ A Note To Follow Sew
Lorna @ Sew Fresh Quilts
Sonia @ Fabric & Flowers
Emily @ Sew E.T.
Em @ Sewing by Moonlight
June 7, 2013
Paper Pieced Skillbuilder
Are you participating in the Pile O Fabric Skillbuilder this year?
How is your progress? I started great, was on time and then.....we hit hexagons.
Now don't get me wrong, I love to hand bind so I would think that doing these little hexi's would be great fun. Yeah. Not so much. It is really hard to even cut out the fabric. This is partly because after watching all the videos (at least 4, maybe 5) it seemed like so many steps, seems like it took forever and it wasn't exciting. So now I am behind and I HATE that. But...not enough to do a whole lot about it.
My plan is to work on them throughout the year and I'll have them done by the end.
However, on a happy note, this month is Paper Piecing and I really enjoy this technique.
Here is my Geo Swirl Block. Decisions still need to made on how to quilt this QAYG piece, what do you think? So far in this series I have quilted with red thread in red areas and white in the other. Should I mix it up? or stick with the program? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I am also linking up with Kristy at Quiet Play for Paper Piecing Friday!
How is your progress? I started great, was on time and then.....we hit hexagons.
Now don't get me wrong, I love to hand bind so I would think that doing these little hexi's would be great fun. Yeah. Not so much. It is really hard to even cut out the fabric. This is partly because after watching all the videos (at least 4, maybe 5) it seemed like so many steps, seems like it took forever and it wasn't exciting. So now I am behind and I HATE that. But...not enough to do a whole lot about it.
My plan is to work on them throughout the year and I'll have them done by the end.
However, on a happy note, this month is Paper Piecing and I really enjoy this technique.
Here is my Geo Swirl Block. Decisions still need to made on how to quilt this QAYG piece, what do you think? So far in this series I have quilted with red thread in red areas and white in the other. Should I mix it up? or stick with the program? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments!
I am also linking up with Kristy at Quiet Play for Paper Piecing Friday!
June 5, 2013
Modern Stash for June
June brings the conclusion of the Modern Stash Bee. We made some excellent blocks in this hive and everyone was fantastic to work with!
Joanne requested this Wonky Block and finally I block I was familiar with as it was a bee block for modern quilt guild a few months ago.
She requested cool colors as it is for a little one that we don't know the gender of yet, so....since my blue/green scraps were running over it worked out perfectly!
I apologize for no natural light in these photos but I was headed to the post office the day after I finished and it was important to me to get them sent off promptly!
Here is a sample of the other blocks made in this bee:
January - Emily
February - Deb
March - Ginny
April - Karen
May - me
Joanne requested this Wonky Block and finally I block I was familiar with as it was a bee block for modern quilt guild a few months ago.
She requested cool colors as it is for a little one that we don't know the gender of yet, so....since my blue/green scraps were running over it worked out perfectly!
I apologize for no natural light in these photos but I was headed to the post office the day after I finished and it was important to me to get them sent off promptly!
Here is a sample of the other blocks made in this bee:
January - Emily
February - Deb
March - Ginny
April - Karen
May - me
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