Happy Spring

I sure hope it's warming up for those of you who are eagerly awaiting the onset of spring! It's still a bit chilly around here, but there are little signs popping up each day and that alone is warming my spirits.

Early Bird, my new fabric collection for Moda is now in stores and I wanted to give you some cute and fun Easter-ie project ideas. The first are these adorable love birds. Tutorial and templates can be found here. I used fabric strips to wrap a wooden embroidery hoop, sewed the birds on and added a looped fabric strip to the top to make this sweet bird mobile!

Next is this fun fabric nest/basket/bowl. Tutorial can be found here. One tip (i learned the hard way), do not use hot glue to tack the ends of each fabric strip to the cording. I use mine as a catch all for large-ish scraps. All the other scraps get tossed on the floor ;)

Here is another bird style. This was infamously known as the "Spool Bird" and was designed by Michael Fulkerson. The template can be found on Pinterest, and you can visit Michael's Etsy shop to purchase his whimsical bird mobiles.

The next one is this super cute fabric Easter basket. It was designed by Amy Smart whose blog Diary of a Quilter has loads of creative sewing projects of all kinds! The basket is a free tutorial complete with templates and easy-to-follow instructions. And what would an Easter basket be without...

... Easter eggs! Kim Kruzich has templates and a tutorial over on her blog Retro Mama. 

They were so fun to make, i couldn't stop!

If you have any favorite Easter/spring projects you'd like to share, please leave a comment and link us up to more great ideas! Thank you.

And lastly, our Morning Glory and Nest patterns are available on our website!

Happy Spring! (and happy Autumn for our friends in other parts of the globe)

XO,

kate

Quiltcon Savannah!

What a pleasure to be with so many colorful creators from all over the world at Quiltcon in Savannah! Great thanks to Moda Fabrics United Notions for inviting me to join them there. Three creative leaders from Moda -- Lissa Alexander, Carrie Nelson, and Holly Hickman of "Urban Chicks" -- were joined by senior sales ambassador Amy Matheny. They did a wonderful job in hosting visitors to the Moda booth. The booth featured quilts designed by my friend and fellow Moda designer "Zen Chic" Brigitte Heitland, who conducted face-to-face consultations on designing quilts to go with interior spaces, based on her book "Zen Chic Inspired". Great work, everyone! In addition, I loved participating in the "Tap Into Your Creativity" panel moderated very smoothly by Jen Carlton Baily. We were joined by a thoughtful group of multitalented creatives: Heather Givans of Crimson Tate, the celebrated Bernina educator Nina McVeigh, quilt writer and creator Lisa Ruble, Janome educator and fiber artist Erin Schlosser, and an audience of several hundred attendees. In between the panel and joining the team at the Moda booth, I was fortunate to see or meet with friends, new and old, including Garen Brien Sherwood, Holly Broadland of Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild, Erin Sampson and Alex Veronelli of Aurifil Italian Threads, Sarah Craig, Sarah Golden, Australian quilter and author Peta Peace and her very nice husband Richard, Hannah Goldstein, Thomas Knauer, Maureen Weflen of the Quilters Guild of Indianapolis, Carla Lissa, Denyse Schmidt, Jenny Doan and the great Missouri Star crew, Lizzy Rockwell, Southern CT Modern Quilt Guild. I also got to view so many amazing quilts. I posted a few to my Instagram and my Facebook pages. My great admiration goes out to all of you who submitted your special works to this festival. You inspire me and so many others. Bravo!

 

Winner of the Early Bird FQB and on to Quiltcon East

Congratulations to Christine Weld!

By random selection, Christine is the winner of the Moda Fabrics Early Bird fat quarter bundle in our Valentine's Day "Splendid" giveaway in honor of the completion of Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson's monumental 100-block "Splendid Sampler" year-long, international creative quilting event.

I hope to see some of you at Quiltcon in Savannah this week. 

I can't wait to catch up with the Moda team 

and with other longtime friends and to meet and hear from new acquaintances in the modern quilting world. This Friday morning at QuiltCon, I'll join Jen Carlton-Baily, Heather Givans, Erin Schlosser, Nina McVeigh, and Lisa Ruble on Friday at 9 AM to explore how to tap into one's creativity. Here's the listing for this event from the Quiltcon program: 

After that, I'll be spending some quality time with the Moda team at booth #523. Be sure to follow Moda's Instagram, my Instagram, as well as on the Modern Quilt Guild's Instagram, for some shots from Quiltcon East and lovely Savannah.

I hope to see you there!

kate

P.S. If you missed it, here's Jenny Doan's color-smacking "Sweet Treats" quilt featuring the Moda Cake Mix #1 recipe paper by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co for Moda and my Latitude Batiks collection for Moda Fabrics. I'm now working on the follow-up batik line to it. Lots of fun and color! Time to get back to the drawing board. See you soon!

Happy Valentine's Day Splendid Giveaway

Happy Valentine's Day!

It's time to share some love and to celebrate the 100-block Splendid Sampler with a big giveaway! Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson are hosting a giveaway with 5 fantastic prizes. There are also a bunch of other designers giving goodies away today — including me (keep reading to enter). To find out more about how to enter all the other giveaways, head over to the Splendid Sampler website!

Next month, Early Bird will ship out to quilt shops and we're so excited about that! This collection is perfect for spring-ie, Easter-ie projects and we have a FAT QUARTER BUNDLE to giveaway to one lucky winner. 

To enter to win, just leave a comment briefly telling us what you enjoyed most about the Splendid Sampler project and what's next on your "to make" list. 

One entry per person, please. 

All entries must be posted here by no later than February 21 at 9 PM Eastern Time.

We will announce the random winner here on February 22.

Good luck!

Kate

Splendid Sampler Grand Finale!

Cue the fireworks, balloon shower and confetti toss! You've made it to

Really, pause for a second to absorb what that means.

 Think back to last year when you were debating about whether you'd join in on this project. Think of all the things that have happened since. And now, know that each of your quilt blocks serves as a reminder of your commitment to your creativity. The quilt you make from all these blocks will be one to treasure. The stories and life events, and the miles of stitches that have been shared are as inspiring as they are unforgettable.

This quilting journey has been about the best things our sewing community has to offer; learning from each other, supporting each other, and through social media, connecting with more than 25,000 sewists, stitchers and new friends around the globe. In fact, when I saw this graphic that plots all the splendid participants, it really made me see just how far and wide our community is – though it looks like we need to hold some quilt retreats in Greenland and Mongolia ;)

For those of you who are visiting here for the first time, welcome!

Great thanks to the inimitable creators of this epic adventure, Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson. {Applause, applause, standing ovation! Brava, ladies!} Their vision, care, creativity and perseverance brought the Splendid Sampler to fruition and brought all of us together in a memorable experience.

I first began to quilt in 2009, around the time that Verna, my first fabric collection for Moda came out. I didn't know anything about piecing blocks and didn't know any quilters I could turn to for help. Luckily, YouTube was well-stocked with video tutorials and that was when Pat first came across my screen. It's thanks to her that I learned how to sew a 1/4" seam allowance! As for Jane, if you've ever had the pleasure of meeting her in person, you will instantly feel her sincerity and kindness. Her beautiful long arm quilting is also a site to behold! It's no wonder that these two dreamed up this project and were so able to pull us all together for it.

So without further ado, it is an enormous pleasure and an honor to post the final and 100th block.

My block is called, Centered and can be found here.

Whenever I have a chance to sew, I find enjoyment in every part of the process. I love the focus it takes to measure, cut, and sew fabric pieces together and discovered it to be a surprisingly calming activity that I enjoy more than I could have imagined. The design of my “Centered” block is meant to reflect this feeling – radiating outward – and all the tranquil moments I treasure at my sewing machine.

Tip: You can fussy cut the center of each block to highlight something special. The blocks below are made using Early Bird, my next fabric collection for Moda. By now, you're probably an expert at sewing with small pieces, so you won't hate me too much for the size of some of these pieces! ;)

And, there's good news for all of you who are like me and maybe didn't get to dive in as much as our hearts had initially wished. There will be a book! You can pre-order a copy here.

The Splendid Sampler project reminded me how quilters and creators, while sewing together, grow together in a creative community that excites and enlarges us. The world can always benefit from more of the positive energy you’ve brought to bear through this creative voyage. And remember:

Please be sure to stop back here on Valentine's Day for a very splendid giveaway!

XO,

Kate

#ModaBellaChallenge Quilt Contest

To celebrate the 15th year of its "Bella Solids" fabrics, Moda Fabrics is calling on all quilters around the world to enter this creative quilt-making contest -- with big awards to those whose quilts are selected for purchase, showcasing at the International Quilt Market in Houston, and for archiving by
 Moda Fabrics.

 

First place: US$5,000.00

Second place: US$3,000.00

Third place: US$2,000.00

Click here to review the rules and to get started.

Gardening Tip: Coleus Propagation -- Take One

Hi! I hope your new year is off to a good start. It's snowing here, so I thought I'd take a moment to dream of the garden. At the end of last summer, our friend Tracy was at our house and saw some of our window boxes planted with annuals. She asked me if I over-winter the coleus. I had never thought about trying! Here's what Tracy told me to do:

1. While the plants are still going strong, snip about 6" sprigs from each plant.
2. Strip the leaves from the bottom 3" of the stem.
3. Plunk them in a small glass of water then put the glass on a sunny windowsill. 
4. Periodically, refresh the water.

I did this and lo' and behold after a few weeks, roots started to appear! I'll probably have to put them in a bigger glass soon, but by spring these will be ready to plant! It's exciting to learn something new, and a bonus when it also happens to be beautiful.

New! Quilt-Planning Coloring Pages

We got a nice call the other day from Amy in Oklahoma.

Amy asked if we had a blank black-and-white version of the Felicity quilt pattern for her to print out and color in. “Like a coloring-book,” she said.

Amy wants to create a quilt kit featuring my pattern and coordinating fabrics. She’s kitting this up for her local quilt shop (LQS) Modern Vintage Quilts in Claremore.

But, Amy admitted, she’s not decided on which fabrics to use. (An aside: May I recommend my collection for Moda Fabrics, North Woods ? A nice selection of the line is offered by my LQS, Christie’s Quilting Boutique, in-store or online, and elsewhere. Wink wink.)

And so, in trying to help Amy with her interest in playing around with some colors -- something that's integral to my process -- I decided to make her a template “like a coloring-book” and to send it to her. It’s available for free on our shop now.

And thanks to Amy’s request, we’ve decided to include a color-in template with all our new quilt patterns offered on our shop. 

Right now, these are the patterns that you’ll get a free coloring template with, when you get the pattern online from us. 

The fabrics I’d recommend for the Nest and Morning Glory quilts? My “Early Bird” collection for Moda Fabrics (shown on my bed above), shipping in March.

Best,

Kate

Happy New Year!

Here we are, closing the circle of another magnificent journey around the sun. Each year offers an opportunity to broaden our perspectives by moving through the experiences we encounter and then pausing to reflect on what we've learned. For me, these morsels of thought and awareness have become building blocks in my life's landscape that I can climb up on to see farther than the year before. I look forward to beginning another year of discovery with an open, compassionate, loving and grateful heart.

Last summer, I stumbled upon a quote from the late, great English sculptor and artist, Henry Moore. I've always loved the colossal, organic forms of his work and how dramatically his sculptures change as you walk around them depending on your vantage point. And then his words connected straight to my creative core and are especially fitting here and now:

"I think in terms of the day's resolutions, not the year's."

What a good idea. Sometimes all it takes is re-framing a simple idea to help us realize the potential in each day.

Over the years, I've seen friends and colleagues choose a "word" to guide them through the year ahead. It's not something I usually do, but thought I'd try because I feel that 2017 will need one. So, with Henry's sentiments as my guide, my word for the year ahead will be "harmony." I like the idea that harmony (of all sorts) is something that can be seen, found and felt even in brief, isolated moments of daily life. I hope that by being mindful, I'll be more able to savor those moments and to find more of them...maybe in places that surprise me. How about you? Do you have a word or quote that you connect with at this time of year?

Thank you all for your creative engagement. I love seeing what you've been up to -- in your creative projects, in your home, in your gardens, and in your daily routes. Don't hesitate to share what you've been making and/or are dreaming up!

In 2017, I wish you all the best of health, peace, creative pursuits, friendship, love and adventure. Be good to yourself and to the people who make you and your life better.

Oh! And let's not forget Franny, Lou, and Roscoe -- who have curled up in every chamber of our hearts and home and are closing out 2016 with "A Furry Year in Review." Enjoy!

XO,

Kate

Happy Thanksgiving!

A very happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for so much, and humbled by your kind engagement with me throughout the year.

I wish you all the best in this week of Thanksgiving.

By random drawing, the winner of the fabric bundle of more than 100 different fabric squares from our wonderful, generous friends -- Janice and Helen -- is:

Lee

November 18, 2016 at 10:01 PMI love Fandago and Sunnyside:
Fandango - Talavera ole orange
Sunnyside - Shine
Sunnyside - Radiance! have a wonderful weekend!

Kate

P.S. We've just added a few special Christmas/winter holiday bundles on the shop. 

Creator Spotlight, Helen and Janice, and a Thanksgiving Giveaway!

I am proud to feature two super-talented creative friends, Helen Bergner and Janice Roy, in this special creator spotlight and giveaway.

Helen and Janice mentioned to me earlier this year how they were working on two quilts incorporating 350 different fabrics from collections that I'd designed for Moda Fabrics. What?! How?! What fun!! I wondered.

Crossing state lines, time zones, and circling back, Helen and Janice tracked down some very hard to find out-of-print fabrics, from my first line, Verna, to the most recent release, Grand Canal, and almost all the other lines in between (except my Latitude Batiks line), and got to creating.

As they explained it to me, Helen and Janice practice the buddy system. Helen is a crazy crafter and Janice is a long-arm-quilting artist. For them, striving to sew together one morning a week during the school year keeps them moving forward on personal projects and, Helen adds, "keeps us from getting overwhelmed by the distractions in life, like work!"

Janice Roy

Helen Bergner

“I have been crafting in one way or another as long as I can remember," Helen explains. "There was always crafting going on in my house. My mom sewed, knit, and did crafting projects for the many Girl Scout troops she led. She used to sew matching outfits for all us kids- though she had to give it up by the time the twelfth one came along! I love to delve deeply in to a craft, teach a few people how to enjoy it, then move on to learning something new myself. I am pretty competent at knitting, sewing, making jewelry, tie-dye-ing and a few other things. One of the best was running a theatre camp for six years, called The Backyard Players, in my back yard for 25 kids where they made their own costumes, sets and props and performed a play all in one week.

“I started quilting about 7 years ago when my son Peter had nothing to do on spring break. I got him started, and he went on to make 10 quilts. Instead of summer camp a year later, we rented time on Janice’s long arm machine, and Peter quilted everything he had sewn. That is when I got to know Janice and started quilting myself.

“I tend to be a 'Quick and Dirty Quilter'. My sisters Annie and Liz, who quilt, love complicated patterns and paper piecing. I prefer projects which have blocks that are large enough to really show off the beautiful fabric. I have designed a few patterns, and love working out systems to make the project easier/faster to execute.”

Here's Janice in the early stages of her extraordinary quilt. Janice's quilts have earned her special awards and national recognition. I'm extremely fortunate to have had Janice's quilting on some of pieces I've shown at Quilt Market in Houston recently. It's thanks to our mutual friend, the great Denyse Schmidt, that I first met her.

Janice Roy preparing and sewing a few squares of fabrics for the quilt.

Janice explains her passion in short, “Fiber Arts are in my blood!" When I press her for more, Janice shares the tale of her sewing roots and adventures.

"My Grandmother always had a project underway. She was skilled at any needle art, from braiding rugs to knitting. My mother’s sewing machine was always at hand to make clothes, curtains and other home decorating projects. Quilting became my passion in my 30’s. Quilting after my boys went to sleep helped me unwind after a long day of work and family.

"I love taking classes to learn new techniques and enjoy every stage of quilting from initial design until the last inch of binding is hand sewn. My husband and I opened Little Red Quilthouse long-arm quilting studio in 2002. We offered drop off quilting service as well rental time on our 3 Gammill Optimum quilting machines. Working on a system that can be computer and hand driven affords me endless finishing flexibility. Working on projects with project designers such as Janice Averill and fabric designers such as Kate Spain, Denyse Schmidt and Jennifer Paganelli has resulted in my work being displayed in museums – including the National Quilt Museum!"

Helen emphasizes the synergy in her and Janice's collaborations, “Janice and I both contribute different strengths to our projects. Janice’s strong point is her experience. She has been to many classes including ones with the Ct Piecemaker Guild and often has tips or tricks to share. Her award-winning long arm skills put the polish on the final quilt. I am an avid collector. I love to search on-line and brick and mortar stores for pieces from out of print (OOP) fabric lines."

Here's how they brought their different strengths together to create their "Kate Spain" quilts. 

Helen had found herself resisting just mixing things too much, when it came to fabrics. "It made me avoid Kaffe Fasset Collective fabrics for a long time. Janice helped me get over the hurdle and we made our first 'Kaffe Quilt' using over 100 different fabrics. Then we decided if it was fun with Kaffe, it was going to be even more fun with Kate! We collected well over 300 different Kate Spain (non-Christmas, non-batik) fabrics for each quilt. Then Grand Canal arrived and we tossed in a few Christmas and winter prints, so the total went to about 350."

Helen's fabric hunt included Christie's Quilting Boutique, our local quilt store here in Norwalk Connecticut, and ... also an unexpected binge in Georgia.

"Last summer my sister Annie and I tackled 13 quilt stores in the Atlanta area in 3 days on a Row-by-Row odyssey. We found Thread Bear Fabrics in Cumming, GA and hit the mother lode of OOP Kate fabrics. Sorry, ladies and gentleman, I think I cleared them out of Central Park! They still have a ton of all the newer fabric lines, as well as Sunnyside, Honey Honey, Good Fortune and a little Terrain. They have Kate’s Christmas lines as well! 

"I love to take a picture of a quilt and to try to figure out how to engineer the cutting and assembly of it in the most efficient way, which usually means creating an entirely new pattern."

For this quilt, Janice broke out of her comfort zone and chose a dark navy for the sashing. Helen selected white.

Helen adds, "Either way, we can see how uniquely each sashing color brings out Kate’s amazing prints.”

According to Helen and Janice, it's the brightness, colors, and textures in my designs that excite them.  "Every fabric line has fresh new designs. (Though we would love to see a “Best Of” line sometime- perhaps a contest to choose Kate’s top 30 designs?) The influence of the travels she has taken and her love of gardening can clearly be seen. It is her florals and butterflies that inspired us to choose MSQC’s 4 Patch Lattice Quilt tutorial for our “Kate Quilt” because the pattern resembles a garden trellis." Helen re-engineered the construction method to avoid some of the sewing on the bias pitfalls, and Janice came up with the brilliant idea of cornerstones in the sashing to add more color. 

Bravo, Helen and Janice!

Happy creating all. And happy Thanksgiving preparations and safe travels!

kate

P.S. Thanks to Janice and Helen, there is a Thanksgiving giveaway! One lucky winner will win this one-of-a-kind stack of 5"x10" rectangles of OOP fabrics remaining from Janice and Helen's amazing "Kate Spain" project.

The prize includes more than 100 different fabrics!

Want to enter to win?

Please follow these rules to be included in the drawing for this giveaway:

1. Leave only one comment per person, please :)

2. In your one comment name 3 prints from any of my fabric collections that you'd want to see reprinted. For each of print, include the COLLECTION name followed by the PRINT name (e.g., Grand Canal Girasole).

3. Submit your comment here by 11:59 PM Eastern US time next Tuesday November 22.

The randomly selected winner will be announced here on Thanksgiving morning, November 24.

Cheers!