American Patchwork

 

I call this quilt, "American Patchwork". Its my first quilt ever accepted into a quilt show. I am so excited! It will be in the Winter Quilt Show. The show is put on by the Wisconsin Museum of Quilts and Fiber Arts in Cedarburg Wisconsin. Its an amazing venue filled with exquisite exhibitions of quilts and fine fiber art.

 My quilt is dedicated to my great-great grandfather and the many great grandparent who immigrated to the United States from 5 different countries through out many years. I am so grateful for their courage. I'm sure their journeys were not easy and perhaps their acceptance into the United States was not always welcoming. But they came to build a better life for themselves and their families. They worked hard. They cared for their children and their children's children. I owe my entire life and the family I love to them.

  

  

 

 

Lady Liberty Pattern by Ingrid Alteneder 

 

 

The amazing paper pieced pattern used for the main block, "Lady Liberty" is designed by Ingrid Alteneder. Her shop on Etsy is JoeJuneandMae. She has over 500 patterns in her shop and they are all stunning. She has everything from classic quilt blocks to intricate portraits and animals. Not only is she incredibly talented, but she is also wonderfully kind and generous with her talent and encouragement. 

 

The pattern was a delightful challenge as it contains over 135 pieces. But, they all go together like a fun jigsaw puzzle. The directions were spot on. I wouldn't recommend it as your first paper pieced project. I actually love paper piecing! But, a basic knowledge of the technique is required. She does have some basic patterns such as a variety of star blocks. She also has an informative and inspirational blog to help you get your feet wet or take a deep dive into paper piecing patterns and projects. 

 

I designed the lettered block. I have so much respect for paper piecing designer such as Ingrid. I do love a challenge so I jumped right in. I used a variety of textured solids and Kona white to add some joy to a heavy word. My 65 year old brain was really tired trying to figure out how to draft the pattern. But hey, they say its important to exercise those brain neurons once in a while! Use it or lose it.

 

 I would have to say that the charm in this quilt are thanks to two fabrics from Cathe Holden. I love the warmth they bring to this quilt. They speak to the past and infuse a soft nostalgia into a very modern block. It was hard to take the leap into combining so many colors and prints into a very busy quilt  block. But, in the end I'm so happy I trusted my gut and dove right in. My advice when taking such a risk is to use your camera often to read values and essential contrasts. 

 

 

Vintage Soul fabric by Cathe Holden for Moda

Leather and Lace and Amazing Grace by Cathe Holden for Moda

 

  

I was really proud of the fact that I entered a quilt into such a special quilt show. I really never considered myself a quilter even though I've made many quilts. Most of the quilts I make are part of a homeless quilting mission with a local church. Its quick piecing and quantity is far more valuable than quality, although I try to combine the two. This year I completed my first quilt commission for a lovely Etsy customer.I dabble in all the quilt elements such as binding and machine quilting when I make little mug rugs for my Etsy shop. 

 

Heart Mug Rug in my Etsy shop. Pattern by JoeJuneandMae.
 

When creating this quilt for submission I really stressed about the details. I tried so hard to get the technical details right. In the end, I worked right up to the deadline which is typical for me. All in all it was a labor of love. I was so anxious about my quilt being accepted. I didn't think I had the credentials to enter a quilt show. In the end all submissions were accepted. I am glad I just decided to try and I am really happy I did. Who knows, maybe I might make it a habit. 

If you happen to live in Wisconsin maybe you will be there. Its February 14th from 9am to 4pm at the Washington County Fair Park in West Bend. You can find more info here - Winter Quilt Show. 

 

I was worried about making an immigration quilt. Speaking out has sometimes been bad for my blog and my shop. Its hard to have a voice and a business in these divisive times. But, I felt it was important to say something.Ingrid wrote a lovely blog post about this very subject. I hope you find the time to read it.Its called "Why Quilting is Political and Why that is not a Bad Thing". I hope you understand how important it was for me to honor my past and my family. I wanted to convey why the word immigrant belongs to us all. Even our beloved Statue of Liberty is an immigrant.Everyone in this country is an immigrant. I just wanted to celebrate the word for all of the love and bravery it holds. I wanted to celebrate my love for this country. 

I make many things and work with many special people from all over the United States and the world. I find that creative people and those who value the handmade process are really amazing. I love what I do because of the people I meet in my shop. Quilters are some of the most generous and caring people ever. We may not agree on everything. But, we do our best. That is all the really matters in the end.

Happy sewing!

Jill 

Happy Summer!

Nothing Says Summer Like Birds and Flowers This Cardinal Pincushion embodies my love of being outside, bird watching and gardening. I have also spent the summer trying new things and trying things I have on my bucket list of patchwork and sewing. I think I dreamt of this new pattern. I always love to do applique, but I rarely have the time to just sit down and get back to some nice slow stitching. I don't know why. It always relaxes me and it opens up a whole bunch of new ideas. I combined applique and some patchwork to make my Sun Shine and Moon Shine Pincushions

It was fun trying to bring something new to my patchwork pincushions. There is nothing more humbling and more comforting that looking up to see these beautiful, cosmic wonders every day. They were super fun and a great mini patchwork challenge. I say if you can imagine it, you can make it. If it doesn't work out the way you thought it would, heck, you learned a lot in the process! I have a few more pincushions to share. These are from 2 Etsy shops that I highly recommend. If you are ever in a creative block, try to do something inspired by someone else. Follow a pattern, practice a skill, just sew and see what happens. These first 2 pincushions were made from blocks I found on ASpoonFullOfSugar. Lisa Cox is a talented designer of patterns. You will find PaperPieced Patterns featured on my Cherry Pincushion and the Pineapple Pincushion. It doesn't stop there! She has applique, bags, placemats, quilt patterns and so much more. Just browsing her shop will make you smile and get your creative juices flowing!

I also loved to work with LizTaylorHandmade to create my Daisy Pincushion. Liz Taylor is another talented designer. The patterns are beautifully designed. There templates are clear and the instructions are great. Like most paper pieced patterns, you will get pattern guidance. You will have to learn basic paper piecing techniques on your own. Don't fret! There are some awesome YouTube videos and blogs to help you out. All the patterns I used for my pincushions were beginner level blocks. If you are new to the technique, start larger, be patient and have some faith. They seem to go together like magic in the end! I made the 3 inch version of this block. Sometimes working small can offer a whole lot of challenges. Bulky seam allowances being one of the problems one can encounter with small patchwork. I recommend grading or trimming down seam allowances when things get tiny. If you are new to paper piecing, be patient. Its like walking backwards. You know how to walk, you know how to sew, just take a breath and do your best. Once again, I think challenges are so good for us. They can teach you so much. Here is my Daisy Pincushion. I used lots of ombre, textured and plain solids. I love how it turned out!

Speaking of flowers, I have some news on my Summer Garden Pincushion Tutorial. Its been on my blog for nearly 10 years now. I know many have enjoyed making it. I fear that making you go from one blog post to another, trying to find everything you need was a bit of a pain. I hope you found it worth the effort. I am going to move that pattern from my blog to my Etsy Shop, Fiberluscious. It won't be free anymore but it certainly will much easier to get everything you need to make it in one place. I'm just starting the process but hope to have it ready for sale before autumn. Its such a lovely pincushion and I would recommend you try it if you love embroidery!

Hope your summer has been fun and creative! Be back to share more with you soon! Jill