New quilt design on my wall

I’ve recently done the Electric Quilt version 8 update to my software. I’ve been using EQ since version 5 and I’ve got to highly recommend this if you are into designing your own quilts. This is one I’m currently working on and have made lots of progress>

If I were to have a favorite part, it would be the ease of scanning my own fabrics into my designs and seeing them before I start making my blocks.

The blocks I’m using are 12″ square, this will make for quicker piecing so I can get it onto my longarm quicker, finish it and get it done!

I will post a tutorial on how I like to do paperpeicing , so stay tuned!

Pam

Been away for a while, but have been working…

Here’s a peek of what’s on my design wall, which seems to keep growing and changing. I have been using up my new Cotton and Steel layer cakes and some neutral Carolyn Freidlander fabric. 
I plan to quilt in the centers of the grid fabric, though I haven’t quite gotten to what I’ll do there yet.

The other new addition to my studio has been to bring my long arm upstairs to give my daughter my former studio a larger bedroom. There’s something to be said for making changes that work ! At first I wasn’t convinced my long arm would even fit, but fortunately it’s fitting in nicely and I really like my new space.

It’s a little bit of a tighter squeeze , but working out well!

I plan to post more from other works I’ve completed soon!

Hope you are all enjoying what’s left of summer🌸

Bye for now,

Pam

some peeks at the start of quilting…

Here’s what I have been up to on my Star Quilt!The quilting is going well, there are some areas that I haven’t quite figured out yet, but I’m off to the start and that feels good!The area under the text section is next, and I am not sure what I’m going to do there, it’s so busy that fine details will not show up as much, but I’m thinking some sort of spin on feathers could work. I’ll post photos when I get thru a run. Also, if you go on Instagram I sometimes post my in progress photos.

SSince the weather is getting nicer here in Marblehead I began my day with a chilly but sunny bike ride along the seashore. This always gives me a chance to meditate and ideas can flow, so hopefully I will be able to do this lovely ritual daily as weather permits.

I’m looking forward to completing a few quilts that are pieced yet not quilted but since I go between piecing new tops and quilting the finished I’m a bit slow pokey!

Well, I hope you all out there are getting what ever projects your working on done too!

Happy Spring to everyone in this part of the country and to all hope your enjoying your day!

Pam

Back to work on my long arm…

I’ve gotten back to work on quilting my Star Quilt, I don’t know if you’ve been following my blog posts, but I had been working on this quilt several months ago. I have a habit of putting quilts to the side and then spending time only designing and piecing. When I get to a place where I’m either stuck or need a change of pace I begin to quilt. So, that’s where I am today.

It’s actually refreshing, it’s like a new start on the same quilt. I am using a wide back fabric from Carolyn Freidlanders’ Doe collection, an 80/20 Hobbs batting and it’s now loaded on my long arm and ready to quilt.

I am not even sure what I will do with the quilting, but since I always custom quilt in a free style I’ll be working it out area by area, hoping it somehow speaks to me.

So, off I go now!Hope you all have a lovely day!

Pam

Border dilema, to go bright or low volume…

This is the quilt that has been on my design wall for quite some time, I interrupted it’s progress while working on my long arm. In doing so it gave me time to pause, reflect and perhaps change my mind…So, the above was the color way I was going. It’s quite vivid, and I’ll admit I do love it. Though complex and busy it could work out. Next, thought was, why not try a low volume border and save the wild stuff for after…So, this is the low volume color way. I think i may go this way and potentially sprinkle in some bright transitions. There will be another border after this one which should hold it together, hopefully.

What do you all think?Good plan?

Hope you are all enjoying the day!Thanks for visiting my blog…

Pam

Finally binding, after being swallowed by the snow!

I know I’ve been on the missing list on my blog for the past few weeks!I guess my only excuse is the fact that I have no real excuse!Maybe the snow got to me or maybe I just felt uninspired , but while in my doldrums I was working extremely slowly on my long arm. I can finally say that I have finished the quilting! Yay! So, the hand sewing begins now, I’m onto the binding.

I’ve decided to use the same fabric as the main quilt fabric for the binding, that’s Robert Kaufmans’ Japan. I really love how the edges are very harmonious with the body of the quilt. Here are a few detail photos of the quilting designs I used. I custom quilted everything free motion on my Handi Quilter. I’ve never actually used pantographs, always finding that what works best for my style of quilting would be a more unrestricted style allowing me to flow as I quilt.

So, I will try to stay more active with my posts, this also keeps me honest with my work! It’s a win, win!But, before I sign off I wanted to share some photos of some snow scenes so you will kind of get where my heads been. I guess I just have to remind myself that Spring is Just Around the Corner!Please!!!

Hope you are all warm and cozy, quilting away!

Pam

Modern Quilts/Modern Art

This is a photo of an appliqué quilt I had made a while back, it’s actually the center of a medallion quilt. I loved cutting out and playing with these whimsical shapes at the time. It was like making a fantasy garden.I appliqued my floral arrangement on a strip pieced fabric in low volume fabrics. On top of this again using a neutral thread I explored some of my fancier machine stitches to create a sort of texture.

I am reflecting on these kind of shapes because I think we all inherently have a few shapes that we like to repeat over and over in our repertoire .I recently went to the Mattisse show at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was a really great show of his cutouts. These reminded me so much of what I enjoy doing myself. Shapes I love to repeat and of course modern quilters of today and our use of solid colors.Here’s a little gem, it’s not very large but the shapes, the minimal use of colors  and the texture really reached my sensibility.Here’s another rather enormous collage that is just beautiful, my photo has been turned vertically, but it’s actually a horizontal mural.

Thought I would share all these with you, and my thoughts for todays blog .

It’s beautifully snowing outside today and I feel I will be able to steal away in my studio and get another border stitches on my current quilt top, so hurray for the snow day!My weeping Cherry Blossom tree is all coated in pretty whiteness!

Hope you are all enjoying your day, and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Pam

Subtle progress…subdued colors…

This is on my design wall today, all the fabrics are cut and ready to be pieced. I am using grey tones in three values and a fabric that didn’t photograph well enough here called Doe , a Robert Kaufman line of fabric by Carolyn Freidlander.Here’s a better photo.I am really into this fabric, I love the basics of it and that I can use my solids and my other fabrics and it all can work together.So, I still need to stitch these pieces together.I’ve cut strips at 1.5″,so it should be some mindless sewing time. I love mindless, repetitive work, it’s very relaxing to me.

Also,I’m thinking about what’s next for this little baby, here’s the color group I’m going to use(I think).I chose a cool color group, but I’m still not sure what I’m going to do with them. One idea is a very labor intensive and complicated piecing using paper and drawing out some very spikey shapes with curves involved. I’m not sure if it would be right visually ,so I plan to test a little and work with my quilting software.

Hope you’re all enjoying your day!

Pam

More to be done on my quilt…variations on colors…

Today I worked on another layer of my quilt, as I was working I began to think about when I was a Freshman in art school and studying the German born American artist and educator Josef Albers.He was faculty of the Bauhaus in 1922. I always thought of him in regard to his color studies. Well, while working with solid fabrics and using them in a way that one might use a paint he came to mind. I will probably look back at his work at some point while working out this quilt.

Tomorrow I am planning on subduing my colors to the above , I don’t want to pre plan too far ahead of myself, but I think this will be it.

I’m excited, so far very pleased with how it’s pulling together. The fact that it may be 30 degrees below zero here with wind chill should keep me focused and inside!

For those of you enjoying beautiful weather…enjoy, I’m jealous!

Thanks for visiting my blog today!

Pam

 

Happy New Year! and progress on my quilt…

I hope you all had happy times celebrating the holidays with family and friends, we did here! I have barely worked in my studio and have’t posted much lately. My plan is to be more diligent in at least spending some time getting re- into everything. I still have my recent Shimmer quilt on my long arm waiting for me to continue with quilting . I still have my New Star quilt , above photo, awaiting it’s continuation. I feel good though about where I’m at with it thus far.

Because it’s so bright and clear (star wise) I decided to go with grey and black and whites surrounding it as an inner border. I am so in love with the great quilting fabrics out there now. I am in love with Carolyn Freidlanders’ fabric called Doe, also am using her formerly recent lines Botanics. I also love Allison Glass’s fabrics and have some that will be used in the next border.Aren’t these fabrics perfect together, pairing some Allison Glass with Kona cotton, the colors are so vibrant, what do you think?I’m planning to use geometric, simple shapes as my next border. Hope it works out, ya never know!

So, I’m going to get to it now!

I’m wishing you all a Happy, Healthy New Year!

Pam