When I lucked out and got my first editorial position as the Craft and Decorating Editor for the now defunct Joann magazine, I remember thinking, “Why can’t I ask my friend Susan to make  us some projects [instead of xyz designer] so I can make sure they are hip and cool?” And so I did. Even though Susan was in Portland and I in NYC, she was an inspiration to me–she wrote articles for cool magazines and worked on craft and jewelry books as a freelancer; and when I was looking to leave New York, she was the one who suggested I should write a book (which turned into Crochet Adorned). Without her suggestion and support, I never would have landed that first book deal that led me down a more focused road to crochet designing. And it was Susan who invited me out to Portland on the suggestion that I could do a book signing at Powell’s. Over the years we have been able to help each other out with jobs, ideas, and support, and I treasure her friendship.

And that is why I am so excited to introduce you to Susan’s newest book, Modern Log Cabin Quilting: 25 Simple Quilts and Patchwork Projects. The book contains 25 inspiring quilts and smaller projects, all made from the improvisation-friendly log cabin block. So, if you’ve always thought about quilting but the cutting and measuring never appealed to you–Susan’s book is the perfect introduction. Each project contains detailed information about the size of each central fabric piece, along with the width for each ‘log”, allowing you to assemble the blocks as-you-go rather than fussing over straight corners and perfectly cut dimensions. Susan also includes tons of clear technical illustrations to help you visualize techniques such as chain piecing, pressing seams, and sashing–things that some quilt books assume you already know.

Susan surprised and impressed me with her modern, colorful style. Each project feels distinctive in its fabric selection, and unlike many of the other “fresh” quilting books on the  market, she  mixes lots and lots of prints with great results and no need for solid “breathing ” fabrics in between. One of my favorite projects is the cover quilt–where Susan shows us that how to rotate one simple block to create a striking cross design. I would never have guessed that the Northwest Modern Quilt (above), contributed by Daniela Cane, was made from log cabin blocks, but a crystal-clear layout diagram makes it easy to see just how those simple blocks form this seemingly random design.

I also love the textural play of the Red Cross Bag, which employs both sides of corduroy fabric, producing an almost woven effect. This is a project that makes me want to sit at my sewing machine again!

And I was touched to see that Susan saved the first crochet flower she made (which I walked her through when I was in Portland) as a finishing touch for the Drawstring Bag. You know me, I never think you have to stop at just one crafty skill!

And just so you can see how easy this technique is, Susan has created a tutorial which you can view above or by clicking here. Be sure not to miss Modern Log Cabin Quilting, it will refresh your mind with new ideas for quilts. I just love that you can get so many results from the same style of block. And if you have a fabric stash that could use some spring cleaning, check out Susan’s new quilt project, Quilts For Quake Survivors.

Full Disclosure: Potter Craft sent me a review copy of the book, book links are affiliate links.

At market, I only took about two pictures and this was one of them.  I got to meet one of my favorite fabric designers–Anna Maria Horner. Anna Maria is a crocheter herself, as well as an amazing sewer and fabric designer. She has a new line of velveteen (yes, velveteen!) fabrics coming out in her collection, Innocent Crush. I have no idea how she does all that she does, but it’s inpsiring nonetheless. And you know I love a good cross-crafter–I don’t buy into the attitude that crocheters don’t sew, knitters don’t crochet, sewers don’t knit, etc. Crafty is crafty!

On Sunday we headed over to Yarntopia for Drew’s Crochet It. Love It. Wear It! book signing and Crochet Dude Product launch. Kim Guzman (above) was a surprise guest, and it was great to get to meet her. Plus I got to hang out with Brett Bara, who you may know as the former editor of Crochet Today. We used to work together in New York and it was so good to see her and talk yarn, crochet, and life.  She is holding up a sparkly ball of Kollage yarn in this photo. And  yes, I am wearing a light up pumpkin necklace. Because it was  Halloween, after all.

I had a lot of fun catching up and also, shopping! I have talked to Sheryl, one of the owners of Yarntopia, several times about crocheting as it relates to local yarn shops/high end yarn, and browsing her store I could just tell how much crochet love she has put into it. It was well stocked with lightweight yarns that come with generous yardage, and there were at least as many crochet samples as there were knit. It is always great to see that! If you’re a yarn shop owner, you can see more about how Sheryl has made her shop hook-friendly in my article, “Courting the Crochet Customer” in the October issue of Yarn Market News.

While I was busy gabbing and petting yarn, my sister Mary decided to sit down and learn to crochet. She made a couple of crochet-covered rings and was beaming afterwards. In the car, she said she never realized how easy it was to do! I’m going to have to round up some stray yarn and hooks to keep her going now!

I got home just in time to greet loads of trick or treaters. So even though I missed out on carving pumpkins, roasting seeds and dressing up this year, I think this may go down as one of the best Halloweens ever. I hope yours was lots of fun, too!

]]> http://www.lindamade.com/wordpress/2010/11/quilt-market-crochet-too/feed/ 2 http://www.lindamade.com/wordpress/2010/05/sew-knit-croche/ http://www.lindamade.com/wordpress/2010/05/sew-knit-croche/#comments Mon, 31 May 2010 00:01:21 +0000 admin http://www.lindamade.com/wordpress/?p=1651 The fabric for Alissa’s blocks (for the 12 Squared bee) has been sitting in my sewing room for far too long, and every time I had a free minute I thought about how I should sew them. There’s something about having to clear the sewing table, detach the yarn winder from the cutting area, etc, that was holding me back, but today I finally vowed to complete them.

She sent us strips of solids and asked for quarter log cabin blocks. I took the liberty (no pun intended) of adding a sliver of my liberty print to one of the blocks because it just looked so good in there. Hopefully she won’t mind. I forgot how peaceful sewing could be, if only I could get past the initial getting everything cleaned up and ready stage. That’s one thing I like about yarn– all I have to do to prepare is sit down. I can knit or crochet with a veritable rats nest of string and pillows and discarded laundry, mail and shopping bags around me. (I’ve tried this with sewing with some success…but I don’t recommend it).

Before I started the blocks I had to allow myself some more squishy fun time with the Blue Sky Alpacas cotton that was leftover from my blanket (yes, I finished. No, I haven’t washed it or blocked it). There are teensy amounts, so I figured I would knit a little baby hat. Right now I’m thinking it’ll be a long, striped stocking cap, but we’ll see how far the yarn gets me. There’s something about this yarn that makes me love to *knit* it– does that ever happen to you? Certain yarns lending themselves to certain crafts? I feel like that’s as good a reason as any to learn to do both crocheting and knitting.

I also started another sock yesterday. The same sock pattern from Crocheted Socks: 16 Fun-To-Stitch Patterns, this will be pair #4. We just got some yummy Malabrigo in at Yarnivore and I was asked to show off the crocheted sock (you wouldn’t believe how many people have said that they didn’t know you even COULD crochet socks!). I started this yesterday and I’m almost ready to start closing up the toe- how’s that for speed? Needless to say, the Malabrigo is super dreamy to work with and definitely one of my favorite sock yarns. It’s incredibly soft, and comes in such pretty colors. And you know, it’s kind of nice to work the same pattern several times. I hardly have to pay attention anymore, and I know where the tricky parts are and how to modify certain parts so that it fits me better. I probably don’t even need to make a second one since it’s a store sample, but I’m hoping that they will follow me home eventually.

I am really excited about this one, even though I know it will take me a while to get around to sewing it up. Our group has had its struggles keeping up and staying involved, but I am thrilled with the blocks that have been sewn so far. It has also been a fun opportunity to sew with lots of fabrics and color combinations that I wouldn’t necessarily choose, and those challenges, of course, encouraged me to “think outside the box.” My main hope was that joining the bee would make me sew something every month, in the midst of other deadlines, and it did help me to do that. I can’t wait to get the rest of the blocks!

First are Chawne’s blocks from January. The task she gave us was seemingly simple- sew two checkerboard blocks from 36 squares each. I found it to be incredibly challenging to get my corners to meet, despite measuring, cutting with a fresh blade, pinning,  lining up my seams, using the seam guide and pressing. The corners…do not meet. I hope she can live with the wonkiness — I like it (prefer it even), but, I feel like I failed at these. It just isn’t in my blood to get things to match up perfectly, especially not 36 times each on 2 blocks. Sigh. I could probably use a course in “proper” quilting.  I sent these out yesterday, not too terribly past the deadline.

Next are November’s  Neighborhood blocks for Megan, which I sent out in December (late). These were fun to do and played to my improvisational quilting sensibilities. She sent us lots of different scraps to choose from, and requested teeny tiny houses (that part was the challenge– to do something interesting within a 3″ ish space). I wish I had had more time to do more blocks, but I was in the midst of a big deadline. At least I got a gnome in there!

And finally, here are October’s Sampler blocks for Melanie, who was kind enough to trade months with me. I didn’t realize October  was originally my month and we had just barely arrived in San Antonio. Actually, I kind of still feel like I’ve just arrived and it is four months later! Melanie said to do whatever we wanted, so I came up with these designs. These colors were a challenge to me, I really wanted to add a little something from my stash at first (the easy solution) but in the end I think these solutions work. I’m curious to see how this quilt comes together since everyone’s blocks are different.

Februrary is my month and shamefully, I nearly forgot again until I realized no one else was posting about it being their month. I’ve had a color scheme in mind for a while now so I gathered up everything from my stash and only went to purchase a few grey solids to fill in the blanks–yay for not going overboard with fabric buying.  I sent the fabric out yesterday along with some Bauhaust textile inspired guidelines–I’m excited to see what comes back!

And so yesterday I made my September 12 Squared quilt blocks for Amanda. She wanted Wonky Stars and gave us a link to this great tutorial. She also sent all pre-cut squares, which made it so much easier for me to do these in a couple of hours,  yay. I had a lot of fun, as usual.

Now you may be wondering why I did these so quickly when I put off August’s blocks for nearly the entire month. And that brings me to the big news: We’re moving back to Texas! In  just a couple of weeks, we’re packing up our stuff and heading back to San Antonio, where both Paul and I grew up. I have enjoyed living in Bozeman, but it is time for us both to move on, so we’re going to give Texas another go. I always kind of figured I’d end up back there, but it’s still bittersweet to leave.

And, in doing some packing and sorting and agreeing to publicity type things, I realized that I have some stuff I’d like to give away before I move. You know, so that I don’t have to move it? And also because moving is a great time for sorting through things and sharing what you no longer need. And thirdly, because I agreed to do some giveaways and I better check them off my list before everything is in boxes. So, this week will officially be The Week of Giveaways here on Lindamade. Giveaway items may include but are not limited to: books, magazines, a nice pile of scraps from my studio, and more. I’ll do one giveaway a day,  you can enter each one once, and all entries will stay open until next Monday. At that point I’ll draw winners, email them, and make a big trip to the post office. And hopefully be just a little lighter as we gear up for the drive. So be sure to follow along this week, the fun begins Tuesday!

I used an improvisational technique for these, working with the scrap  fabrics Daria sent in the size that they came. First, I edited the choices and only used 6 fabrics for each square. Then, since I had about an 8″ width (selvedge to selvedge) of white fabric, I cut it into three 12″ long pieces and whatever was left (with the aim being 12″ quilt blocks). I set aside 2 of these cuts, one for each block, then cut the other pieces into strips that matched the widths of the fabric. I sewed a white strip to either side of each print fabric and laid them out, figuring out where I wanted the prints to fall and trimming the white parts as necessary. Then I cut one of the 12″ cuts I set aside into two 2″ strips and 4 approximately 1″ strips. I sewed the 1″ strips between the print/white strips and sewed the 2″ strips to the top and bottom edges. I changed up the arrangements slightly as I went, which is part of the fun of doing it as you go!

I just love how this one came out! (Sorry for the dark photos, there’s lots of construction on our house right now and it’s blocking my light!!)

On the second square, I was really running low on white fabric. (You can’t tell in this picture, but I sewed three white pieces together to go next to the bottom printed strip). At first I thought I would also have to leave the top strip off and let Daria add it, but then I kind of liked the effect of the 2 prints touching, so I went with it and was able to add the border. It still needs a strip of white fabric on top to make it the right size, but that’s something she can easily fix when she gets it (I didn’t have exactly the same white, so I’d rather let her match them).

I’m really enjoying sewing the blocks, they give me a little something fun to do when I have other non sewing deadlines.

I’m really happy with this one, which I did at least a week after the first. Since I almost always piece improvisationally, I thought I’d kick it up a notch and play off the stripes from the first block and the log cabin idea. Traditionally log cabins are pieced around and around, working outward (kind of like a spiral). So I thought that instead I would still piece it in a spiral, only I would form the whole width of each section beforehand, in essence creating one “round” of log cabin pieces, but each “strip”  was made up from several strips of fabric. I made sure to include the dark navy fabric on every side to carry your eye around.

Then I cut something a little too short at the top left, so I filled it in with some bits and pieces and it was a most happy fix. I really love that little slanty thing. You can also see that I ran out of some fabrics at the top left- again- these are things you could worry about, but I learned (from Denyse Schmidt) that you can actually use these situations summon your creativity  (by adding the red fabric to the strip on the top right so that it aligned with the green vertical strip,  I essentially extended the line from the green edge ). I’m not sure if this makes any sense when I write it out, but the bottom line is this: improvisation= love.

Sometimes I think I’d like to play with fabric a lot, lot more. But I am up to my ears in yarn right  now. Which is one of the many reasons I’m thankful to be participating in 12Squared.

It was fun to work with the blues and greens, since I don’t really have a lot of those colors in my stash (in prints, anyway). I added a few more tones of blue and green to these blocks just because I felt like they needed them– I think it worked out well. I really love making log cabin blocks and I like getting these little envelopes of fabric in the mail from my fellow quilters– it’s just fun to play with someone else’s color schemes.

I had hoped to get some more sewing done this weekend  but I just can’t seem to sit and focus long enough to really get started. Sigh. I hate to say it, but I think I like to crochet because I can flop on the couch and watch TV while I do it. And it’s not even good tv, but it keeps me occupied. Maybe one of these days I’ll get a TV in the craft room, but that could be dangerous.

*****

p.s. I’ll be back later today or tomorrow with the winner of the stickers!

I love how colorful this turned out, and now that it’s actually warm outside, I can wear it. (Note: There’s actually snow on the ground in this picture.) Yay.