Madeline School of the Arts is a Gem!

This summer I will be teaching at one of the brightest new venues in the arts and crafts workshop world, Madeline School of the Arts in La Point, Wisconsin. It is located on a historic renovated dairy farm in the middle of an island surrounded by Lake Superior and the Apostle Islands. The school is accessible only by plane or ferry.

The tranquil campus is situated in a prairie meadow with orchards, gardens and walking paths. The word is spreading about their state-of-the-art, spacious and light filled classrooms. I will be teaching Abstracting from Nature, my favorite class, so this will be an ideal spot for nature's muse to inspire us all.

I have heard nothing but great things about this new learning center and I'm looking forward to seeing some of you there. I am, also, hoping to have the Illinois Album quilt, above, finished and ready to share
with my classmates in July.

Stormy Weather

After a very busy week in the studio we were rewarded with the second real snow storm of the winter. I was out of town for the first one, so this was a welcome event for me. The snow came in the evening and watching it by the yard light was like watching buckets of white ribbon whipping and dancing by the bedroom window. The next morning was so still and white I hated to be the first to disturb it as I wondered down to the studio. But what better place to hang out in the winter?

I showed you this sneak preview a few weeks ago. The piece is finished and I will share it with you now. It is almost a whole cloth quilt, but not quite. Sometimes a fabric is so pretty that it deserves to be left alone to make a statement all by itself. So the body of the quilt is a selvedge to selvedge cut of the plum Primrose Posy fabric from the Early Birds collection for Free Spirit. The print is large and graphic, but also very feminine.

So I simply framed it with apple green sashing and a border of the Strawberry Serenade, also in the plum colorway. The circular quilting is the icing on the cake. It turns a very simple quilt into an elegant one.
On the chair is another "whole cloth" quilt made from another selvedge to selvedge cut of the Potato Vines and Rose Hips fabric from the Prairie Gothic line from a few seasons ago. Hopefully these will encourage you to dig some of those big beautiful prints from your stash and give them a chance to shine in one of your creations!

Lots to do this week, too, since I have some big teaching adventures coming up soon. Check my schedule... perhaps I'll see you in class!

Winter Color Fix

Photography for the new Dragon Threads book, Patchwork Sassaman Style, continued this week. The skies have been heavy and gray, so it has been nice to be absorbed in so much color indoors. Here is a picture of a new quilt made with the Early Birds Fabric. It is a traditional Cross in a Diamond design.

It uses two colorways of the Strawberry Serenade fabric, one with a dark background and the other with a white ground. They are five and a half inch finished squares divided by 3 one inch strips of the Curlicue fabrics, for a 14" finished block. The border is made from the Berry Patch Border design. It was quite the perfect subject for Valentine's Day photography.

Wrapping up the Details

This weekend we took some "glamour" shots for the new Dragon Threads book, Patchwork Sassaman Style. Between spells of sunshine and clouds, we set up scenes to show off the quilts around the house.

Here is Pumpkin, Greg's other assistant, taking a cat nap on the set! A few more words and photos will supply my editor and designer will plenty of goodies to work with. Now back to work!

A Week of Contrasts

Wednesday I returned from a wonderful teaching trip to Florida. I had workshops in Sarasota, Naples and Lakeland. As always, the hospitality and camaraderie was amazing. One afternoon I got to visit the Naples Botanical Garden and this little display of Air Plants was fascinating!

They were simply suspended on weighted fish lines. Each one had a personality of its own. They looked like weird and wonderful pieces of jewelry.

Needless to say, I was drawn to all the curlicues and spirals... some of my favorite shapes.

Look at the movement in this one! It looks like a wild green whirlwind.

I just wanted to wear them all. There are definitely some quilt ideas brewing from this dramatic display. The sun was shining everyday in Florida, but when I got back home the skies were leaden and grey. What a contrast! But I like contrast, so it was fine with me. It's always nice to be home.

So back in the studio there is lots to do, as the book deadline is coming soon. Plenty of writing and finishing of quilts will occupy my time this month. Here is a new Early Birds top that needs quilting. But look as this great view from my studio window. What a better place to work and play?

You may enjoy the special Valentines blog at Quilt Inspiration featuring hearts "Sassaman Style". Guess I'd better start thinking about some new Valentine ideas for 2012.

Holiday Fair and Fabrics

The holiday season officially began yesterday with the annual Chicago Waldorf Holiday Fair. Our children went to Waldorf School from preschool through high school and the seasonal fairs were always huge events in our lives. I always looked forward to decorating the greenery for the winter fair and making May crowns for the spring fair.

This year Willow had her own colorful booth to vend her wonderful wares. You can see she has access to the "mother load" of Sassaman fabrics. So I journeyed down to support her enterprise. The pillowcases were a big hit, as always, and quite a few reversible ties found good homes, too.

It was so nice to see many of my old friends and know that the school is still as active and vital as ever.

So in the holiday spirit, I'd like to share these monkey puzzle quilts that certainly have some traditional colors and shapes for this season. I love the simplicity and graphic punch of this quilt pattern. The piece above is made with the two colorways of the Willow Wand from the Garden Diva's collection. The blocks were arranged to take advantage of the linear design of the stems. They were also placed so the light and dark blocks alternate for exciting contrast. This quilt was elegantly quilted by Janice Head of Head to Sew Quilting.

Since discovering this quilt pattern I have made several versions. Here are two sides of a pillow that I've made with this season in mind. They are made with the two colorways of the Leaf Dance fabric in the new Early Birds line. You can see the third colorway in the heading of this blog above.

This design always reminds me of a wreath, so it seemed the perfect way to play with these fabrics, which have Christmas colors but in a modern way. I like how the black background of the print and the solid black surround blend into each other.

I am happy that Early Birds was delivered to many stores this week, so hopefully some of these fabrics will be used for Christmas crafting. Press the button in the right column above to find a list of Early Bird vendors.

My other big news is that my friends at Dragon Threads want to make some beautiful silk scarves from one of my FreeSpirit quilt designs!! They have posted several candidates on their Open Books blog and are looking for your opinion. So scoot over and put in your vote.

Preserving the Green

As I still wait for the arrival of my new fabric, I have taken time to record some of the shapes and colors around me. The autumn transition has set in and all the colors are beginning to change. The soybeans and corn are turning yellow and the mums are beginning to bloom.

It is ironic that my designing time is in winter when all the inspiration is covered in snow. So these photos are my memory for the designing days ahead. As you can see,  green still rules in the garden.

On the quilting scene, I have finally taken the time to prepare some fabric for a portable project. I hate to sit idle and am always happier when I have some hand work. So I spent a day cutting 5" hexagons from freezer paper and fusing them to the backs of the Exotic colorway of the Iris and Bleeding Heart fabric from the Garden Divas collection.

Then I treated the seam allowances with Mary Ellen's Best Press starch alternative and ironed them to the back. In the following evenings, I basted the seams in place and then began to whipstitch them together.

Here are some of the kaleidoscopic results.

Pretty exciting and a bit addictive. The color contrast and the variety of scale make some interesting effects. The next step is deciding how to put them into a composition.

Cross your fingers for new fabric this week.

Communication Breakdown

I feel like I have just returned from the Twilight Zone. After the big power outage we have been hit with storm after storm. I love storms, but it seems that it can't just "rain" anymore. Lightning hit our Internet tower and we were without a connection for over two weeks... not amusing when you are getting ready for a teaching trip. I really felt disconnected and discombobulated. Boo hoo! This is my apology for being absence for so long. The Internet was down again yesterday, too! So I rushed to get this posted today before something else happens.

It was also 100 degrees and humid during the communication breakdown and we had to begin taking photographs for the new book (more on that later). At this point, I have at least 50 quilts made with my fabrics that need recording and more on their way. So we soldiered on and prepared the studio for a photo shoot.

Greg set up a clever rigging for the lights and I was his assistant. Technology has changed since our last big shoot, so it was a bit nerve racking, especially since I couldn't go on line to get any tips. All went well, however, and we have another batch to do this week. But the weather is cool and lovely, so the studio will be more comfortable and the routine is established.

Here is a stack of quilts awaiting their turn in the limelight. It has really been fun to dig through all these past projects and revisit some of my favorite fabric designs. The book will be a nice record of the past eleven years of designing for FreeSpirit.

I am also making some new pieces for this venture and this is the latest. I am a minimalist at heart, even though some of my quilts are over-the-top with pattern. I quite like the simplicity and starkness of this design. The quilting should be just as clean and clear as the top.

I appliqued the quarter circles to 12" whole blocks and attached then with topstitching. The Willow Wands fabric is from the current Garden Divas collection and the rest of the fabrics are from various previous lines. This is a good design for mixing and matching from your stash. In this case, I used blues, green and pinks for a comforting and cool feeling. It also has huge graphic impact but is easy to put together... perfect for a dorm or baby quilt.

Here are some pillow cases that would be welcome in the dorm room, too. School started here this week and there were scrubbed and bright little kids and their parents on almost every corner waiting for the school bus... such memories.

Next week I'll take you on a tour of the vegetable garden, beware of mosquitoes!

Back to Basics- Three Days Without POWER!

Oh my, what a week! I had big plans and lots to accomplish, too. So I set out early Monday morning to hit the gym and begin the week energized. A good girl! As soon as I drove off our road and onto the highway the storm began. It was wild! The wind and rain came straight and hard from the west. Leaves were flying through the air. The screaming weather warning came over the radio. But I couldn't turn around for home because the wind was blowing at my back... I would be driving right into the storm.

So I waited out the weather at the gym. Finally things tamed down enough to run a few errands. When I got to Starbucks it was packed. "What's up?" I asked. I was told that all these people were without power. Too bad, I thought, not knowing that our house was without electricity, too.

So for three days we lived like the pioneers. Greg was quite enjoying himself... hauling water and ice, clearing the fridge, collecting flashlights, lighting candles. I'm afraid I wasn't as enthusiastic... no computer, no sewing machine, not to mention the toilet situation. But I will admit it was nice to have a valid excuse to take a little technological break. But everything is up and running now, at least at our house and we're getting back to business. Thank you to all the crews who worked around the clock to make it "light" again!!

So, this blog is brought to you with a little help from my friends. Melissa Peda comes to the rescue again! Here is a pretty little pastel bag made from the Garden Diva fabrics. She has cut the fabric to exploit the symmetrical design. But it is the covered button and closure loop that add the pizazz. It is lined with the same pink fabric as the strap and middle band. Please visit her Etsy shop to see more delightful creations.

This is another of Melissa's recent Garden Diva projects. The kaleidoscope pillow is nicely trimmed with the refreshing green Willow Wand fabric. The simple checked baby quilt is so feminine. Notice the purple backing and the green dotted binding, both from the Sunshine and Shadow line. What a wonderful combination! Thanks, as always, Melissa for your energy and your style.

Hopefully, this week I can start again with that "to do" list!

July 4th Cloth Kaleidoscope Fireworks

We had our holiday bash on Saturday. The house was dressed for the occasion and Greg had the yard tidied and trim. The place was humming with conversation and pockets of activity. Our move to country was intended to be a refuge for ourselves and our friends and it certainly was the case this weekend with good friends, good food and good times.

So in honor of the 4th of July, I thought I would share some fireworks! But these explosions are fabric creations done in the computer by my quilting buddy, Susan Buckingham. She has a crazy wonderful
design program called Kaleidoscope Kreator. She took three fabrics from the Garden Diva's collection and fed them into the kaleidscope software. The results are stunning.

This is the Exotic colorway of the Iris and Bleeding Hearts fabric. It is very symmetrical so it is a perfect subject for slicing and repeating. Susan applied a ten wedge template and added the blue background to match the background of the fabric. I combined then into a single composition. Look what happened!!

Next she took the Spring Wreath fabric, also in the Exotic colorway, and did her magic. This time, instead of circles, she has kept them in a square format and used an eight wedge template.

I added the black background which looks like sashing on a quilt and really makes the colors dance.
I especially like the way the daffodils and daisies interact and change the texture from one frame to the next. So many possibilities!

It's hard to pick out a favorite block! The Zinnia fabric in the Peacock colorway was her next test. Also a symmetrical design, with a black background and lots of potential for play.

She really had fun with this one. She used an eight wedge template again and added color around the circular motifs. I put them into two groups so you could see all the variations.

Unbelievable! The graduated colors in the flower do some grand things. The whole group has such a fresh and lively energy. Now check out the turquoise collection, below.

My favorites are the ones that incorporate the stems and leaves because they create more variety and movement in the composition. Of course, the obvious application of these wonderful designs is for quilting. My brain is scheming and my fingers are itching to begin a new kaleidoscope project.Thank you, Susan, for your effort and inspiration. What a wonderful way to start the week!