quiltology...

Happy New Year everybody!

For me this is the time of year to take stock—literally doing inventory in the store—but also figuratively—looking back on the year. So I thought I’d kick off this first blog of 2008 with a little nice visual candy…highlights if you will…from 2007.

Meet my niece Colleen Cogley. For Christmas I gave her the Amy Butler “Charm” quilt I made two years ago. I loved this quilt and wanted it to go to someone really special—and now it has! Enjoy Colleen—this looks great on your bed.

Colleen is a twin.  I got her brother's baby quilt done years ago when they we're both babies.  But I didn't get Colleen's done, and then of course you know what happened, she got too big for the baby quilt.  I had to make something bigger--but time--where to find the time.  And not once did Colleen nag me--not once!  She's a doll.  And now her patience has paid off.  Lots of people wanted to buy this quilt--but I said no--this one's for Colleen!

Okay, can we just say that Jenn is really into quilting!

Evidence—on the left--a close-up of the fabulous tattoo she got on her left shoulder last summer. Painful--perhaps--but sometimes we all suffer for our art!

Barter anyone?  Here's a pic of the quilt Jenn made for her tattoo artist as payment for a lifelong thrill! Art for art—good deal.

Wow, holy cow and gadzooks! The most fabulous T-shirt quilt I’ve ever seen!

The piecing is spectacular—right on the money. And to think this was Paul’s very first quilt. Folks—even the back is fussy cut and pieced! A great job!!!!

Stack-n-Whack Tuscan style…another incredible quilt from Ron Bedard! Enough said.

Finally, one of my quilts…my own little baby Spot on Retro quilt. I designed this pattern last year and made a larger grown up version of it for the shop in Denyse Schmidt’s red and aqua Flea Market Fancy fabrics. Sadly those fabrics went out of print quickly. But the new Katie Jump Rope looked like fun, so I recreated the quilt in brown, yellow, green and a bright bold orange! And I did it for little ones. Now we’re producing the pattern as part of our Quiltology learn to quilt series—easy and fun—that’s the goal here!

All the best in 2008!

It should come as no surprise to those who know me (or at least know the colors I like) that I’ve fallen in love with the new Blue Underground Studios “In & Out” quilt—this one a study in earth tones. Do I fall in love with lots of quilts—yes I have to admit that I do. Am I fickle or is it just this fall fixation thing again?

Usually I’m not one to rush the seasons—winter can certainly wait and the sizzle of the summer heat can take its sweet time—but there’s something about fall and the brisk air that I simply crave. For me Labor Day coming and going is like turning the page of a good book—anxious for what comes next. Of course I’m not quite ready to put away the summer sandals—living in Los Angeles broke me of that habit—but I am ready for the earthy tones and vibrant hues of fall like colors. I gravitate toward rich browns, radiant reds and glowing golds with just the right hint of black (magic?) tossed into the mix. Some people have their comfort foods—I have comfort colors. They engulf me just like an old comfy sweater. That’s probably why this new “In and Out” quilt is speaking to me.

I’m a big fan of the Blue Underground Studios patterns. For me they strike a nice balance between the formal construction of traditional patchwork and contemporary geometry. There’s a symmetry here that unifies the quilt top without making it appear too cookie cutter. Their use of deep saturated color, pattern and texture lend variety and visual interest to each piece so the eye travels easily over the top and we see something different every time we look at one of these quilts.

In their “Around the Block” quilt we see a classic courthouse step block made more interesting by setting it on point. And we can we talk scrappy? I love scrappy quilts—there’s a magic to them! Amy and Janine’s wonderful use of Kaffe Fassett’s fabrics take this quilt to another level. In fact we should be calling this “extreme” color! And just like extreme sports—this kind of color work is not for the weak hearted or ambivalent. You’ve got to just go for it.

Curious?

Then you’ve got to stop by and see these quilts. We’ll have them on display in the shop for the next couple of weeks (through Saturday 9/22.)

And if you’d like to meet the Blue Underground Studios designers Amy Walsh and Janine Burke—then drop by the shop this Wednesday 9/5 between 6p to 9p.  We'll be hosting a trunk show with samples of their work and copies of their newest patterns.  Have a glass of wine and talk quilts!

Quiltology--The Urban Quilt Space